Fear not the Shadows
by Corrupt TE
Summary: A sniper watches the celebration through his scope, waiting for the right moment to pull the trigger and end someones life. But who is the target? Being an Agent is never easy, and this case might well change Shadow's life.
1. A Hero through the Sights

**Ok, I'm Corrupt TE and this is my first fanfic. Constructive criticism welcome.**

**Disclaimer: Sonic and team belong to SEGA and NOT me.**

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Fear not the Shadows

"You know your target." Scorned the tall, round Human. His light brown moustache quivered with delight as he paced back and forth in front of the cloaked figure. This was the notorious Dr. Ivo 'Eggman' Robotnik, scourge of all free Mobians, feared and hated World wide, a renowned genius who thrived on destruction and lusted after World domination.

"For the third time, yes!" Jeered the cloaked figure. Dr. Robotnik slumped into his throne, steepled his fingers and glared through his dark glasses.

"I hope for your sake that you succeed. You assassins charge a high price."

"He is a highly priced individual." The Assassin replied with a shrug. "But I assure you, Sonic the Hedgehog will not leave the ceremony alive." With that, the Assassin turned on his heel and marched away from the insane Human and his maniacal laughter.

* * *

The crowd cheered loudly, as their favourite teenage hero was paraded before them on top of a large replica of himself. The float slowly moved at the head of a near convoy of other floats. Sonic performed flips and tricks for the crowd and loved every minute of the attention. Behind the replica Sonic, came a float set out in the shape of the iconic 'Tornado'. Tails Prower stood on the wing, waving and occasionally using his namesake to fly to the other floats. Behind him came a float designed to look like the shrine for the fabled 'Master Emerald', including a large flower arrangement in the shape of said emerald. Knuckles stood here, waving sheepishly and feeling completely out of his depth. After this rolled a simple stage, adorned with pink and yellow flowers. Amy and Cream were waving frantically at the crowd, screaming in delight at the cheers they were receiving and throwing floral necklaces into the crowd. Following them on the last float, in the shape of a G.U.N 'F-22 Raptor' fighter jet, was Rouge the Bat and Shadow the Hedgehog. Rouge was swooping around the replica aircraft, tossing plastic bead necklaces into the crowd, and relishing in the amount of wolf-whistles she earned. Shadow however, was leaning on the engine of the aircraft, still wondering how the others had convinced him to join in. They were slowly being shepherded towards the city hall, where Sonic and his team would be presented with the key to the city, in thanks for their most recent defeat of Dr. Robotnik.

* * *

A figure walked and weaved his way through the gathering crowd. He looked over to the podium where Sonic the Hedgehog would accept his award and snorted. He walked away from the city hall, knowing he had about twenty minutes to set up. Spying a nearby six-story building with a clear view of the podium and surrounding area, he headed towards it. It turned out to house the offices for the workers of a small business. With how he was dressed, he would blend in perfectly. He strode through the glass doors, nodded to the young, bored looking secretary and entered the elevator. He was joined by two others, a Horse and a Doberman. Both were carrying briefcases and were dressed in simple gray suits, talking about what they did the previous night.

"She was totally hitting on you last night man!" They both laughed before noticing that they weren't alone in the elevator. Shuffling uncomfortably they changed their conversation to one about their day-to-day office lives, before hastily exiting when the doors opened on the forth floor. The Doberman looked back at the elevator as the doors closed.

"Who was that?" The Horse answered with a shrug.

* * *

Back outside the crowd had swelled enormously. Excited chatter slowly increased to frenzied cheering as the Sonic float came into sight. The city governor stepped out, followed by his usual lackeys. He was an immensely popular, retired general who was prepared to get his hands dirty for his citizens. He raised his hands and the cheering died down. The crowd looked expectantly towards the greying Bulldog.

"Ladies and Gentlemen. Today we are celebrating the contributions of a group of young heroes to our fair city!" The crowd cheered again. The Bulldog smiled as the cheering died down yet again.

"These heroes have done so much more for this city than yours truly here." The crowd laughed and cheered at the blatant joke at his own expense. The city governor noticed the floats stop, and the 'Sonic Team' beginning to make their way towards the podium. He raised his muscular arms to the crowds.

"Without further ado, I give you the 'Sonic Team'!"

* * *

The mystery person had picked his position on he roof with care. For the past few minutes he had been leaning his shoulder into the butt of his silenced sniper rifle, making certain that no small twitch on is part would effect the shot. He settled into his position, sweeping the crowd through his scope he waited, his breathing calm and shallow, his heartbeat slow and steady. As the 'Sonic Team' made their way up the steps of the city hall, he spotted his target. He waited, keeping his breathing steady; he waited for the opportune moment. Time seemed to slow down when viewed through his scope. Sensing the moment was upon him, his finger squeezed the trigger.

* * *

The crowd screamed and scattered. No-one had seen where the shot had come from. The greying Bulldog was hustled back into the security of the city hall. Rouge and Shadow had swiftly left to find out what they could and make contact with the Guardian Unit of Nations to this development. Amy was comforting a petrified Cream, while Tails was busy throwing up. A pale faced Knuckles knelt by the rapidly cooling body, not daring to touch it.

"There's only one I know who would try this." The red Echidna growled. The others didn't answer, already knowing who he meant.

"I didn't think he'd try anything like this!" Exclaimed Amy, still holding a sobbing Cream.

"It's Eggman!" Growled Shadow as he skidded to a halt. "What did you expect?"

"Anything Shadow?" Asked Knuckles, letting his arms dangle by his sides. The ebony and red Hedgehog shook his head.

"I think I've found where the shooter was, but he left no evidence." He folded his arms across his chest. "Obviously a professional." There was a slight hint of admiration in his voice at that part. Just then a white furred Bat swooped towards them and landed.

"A G.U.N investigation squad is on their way." Said Rouge in-between breaths. She must've been flying hard. Knuckles had stood when she arrived and went over to comfort a dry-heaving Tails.

"What do you think Shadow?" Rouge asked, squatting next to her fellow Agent.

"Single shot." He said, examining the body without contaminating it. "No exit wound, so the lab-boys should be able to retrieve."

"What do you think he was doing with that?" She asked, pointing at the pistol lying near the victims' hand.

"Ruger SR9, simple yet effective, easily concealed. Question is: why is it out of its holster?" Shadow answered.

Before Rouge could speculate, sirens could be heard and three G.U.N vans came into sight.

"Damn, that was fast." Said Rouge. Shadow grunted his agreement.

"Hey guys!" The two Agents turned and looked at where the voice had come from. In the doorway of the city hall stood a certain cobalt Hedgehog holding a letter. "Come take a look at this." The team gathered around Sonic and began to read the letter in his hands.

_'In a World of increasing hardship and darkness, the few glowing beacons must shine all the brighter._

_We are the few who dwell in the gray, the few who watch the balance._

_One wishes to extinguish your light and plunge us into darkness._

_Know that we will not allow this to happen._

_Shine brightly, Sonic the Hedgehog, and fear not the shadows.'_

* * *

*Earlier*

He stepped out of the elevator with briefcase in hand. Striding out into the rapidly emptying street, he joined the rush of the crowd. Long before G.U.N or the 'Sonic Team' had conducted their investigations, he was gone. As silent and mysterious as a shadow.

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**Well hope you enjoyed that.**

**Till next time.**


	2. Questions and Talons

**I was planning on having _Fear not the Shadows_ as a one shot, but a certain Mnicknack and Koollolly convinced me to make it into a series and to be honest, I like it.**

**Now for the legal stuff.**

**Disclaimer: Sonic and team don't belong to me.**

* * *

Two days after Sonic and his team had paraded through the heaving streets of Station Square. Two days since Sonic was awarded with the key to the city by the city governor. Two days since someone was shot and killed before a huge crowd, and no-one had seen the shooter.

Two days after he had gotten caught up in this mess, Shadow, top agent of the Guardian Unit of Nations, strode past the glass rooms, where other anthro and human agents worked tirelessly in investigation and crime solving. Some looked up from their work and regarded the ebony Hedgehog as he marched by.

Shadow pushed his way through the thick plastic sheeting and walked up towards the cold metal table, upon which laid the cold body of a naked black Crow, half covered by a white plastic sheet.

"Don't you have work to do?" He asked, staring at the still form lying on the other metal table. The figure shifted slightly before swinging their legs off the table and standing up.

"Have you any idea how long I've been here?" The speaker stood with their hands on their hips, glaring at the Hedgehog who had interrupted her nap. She was a ginger furred Cat in her early twenties, with shocking long red hair currently tied up in a bun. She was wearing plain black trousers, a short sleeved red t-shirt, over which she wore the long white coat most commonly associated with the medical profession. Her light blue eyes were dulled from overwork and intense focusing on minute detail, but were currently boring their way into the crimson counterparts of Shadow's.

"Haven't had your morning coffee yet I see." Shadow hit back with a smirk.

"Don't push me Hedgehog!" The tired Cat wiggled her finger at him. "I've already done two other autopsies today and you're right, I haven't had my coffee yet." She walked over to the body, pulling with her a small metal trolley piled with various instruments used for the clinical hacking of dead bodies.

"So what's with this guy Sheba?" Asked Shadow, indicating the Crow with a wave of his hand. Sheba sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose.

"Ok. First off," She carefully turned the Crow's head to show Shadow the bullet wound that had killed him. "Single shot, low velocity round. Death would've been instantaneous." She returned the head to its previous position, and lifted the Crow's left arm. "I managed to remove the bullet and ballistics are checking it out now, but this might be something you'd be interested in."

Shadow's eyes narrowed on the Crow's left wrist. Tattooed into the small downy feathers of his wrist was a small white talon.

"A white talon. Why does that look familiar?" Shadow thought out loud.

"Look Shadow, as much as I would love to play twenty questions with you, I've got work to do." Shadow looked up at the Cat, nodded and stepped away from the metal table.

"Yeah, sure. I'll catch you later Sheba." She watched the ebony Hedgehog leave her alone with the silent form of the deceased Crow. Sheba sighed, her eyes feeling slightly less heavy since her short nap.

"I need coffee."

* * *

She kept her office dark. She liked the dark, she thrived in it. Gloved fingers flicked through case files and reports, her eyes sweeping over the pages searching for something that stood out against the norm. She didn't hear the door open, despite her large ears being the perfect listening tools. Suddenly her darkness was broken by the turning on of the light.

"Shadow! You bastard!" She screamed, slamming her eyelids down to save her burning eyes.

"It's not Shadow." Rouge risked the harsh light and cracked open her eyes to glare at the perpetrator. Who she wasn't expecting to see was a red Echidna, looking rather sheepish, standing in the doorway to her office.

"Knuckles? What are you doing here?" The usually stoic guardian shuffled his feet.

"I um… well I wanted to ask… uh…"

"Knuckles, spit it out!"

"Would you like to go out for a drink sometime?" He asked, very quickly.

Rouge sat behind her desk for a moment, surprised that it had been Knuckles to make the first move. Sure she flirted with him, but she was always a little hesitant when it came to actually going out with anyone.

"Sure, I'd like that." She finally answered with a smile. The Echidna smiled back.

"So when do you finish today?" Rouge looked over at the clock displayed on her desktop.

"Tell you what. Why don't we meet for lunch, I get off in an hour." Knuckles nodded his head in agreement. Rouge had never noticed how the hue of his fur brought out the colour of his eyes before.

"In an hour then." Rouge shook herself out of her daydream.

"In an hour, bye Knuckles."

"Bye Rouge." The white Bat laid her chin in her hands and watched the Echidna walk away through the glass walls of her office. The smile never left her lips.

* * *

Shadow was racking his brain, trying to figure out where he had seen that symbol before. He silently cursed that dead Crow down in the autopsy room, for presenting him with such an annoyance. Suddenly he bumped into someone, ending up on his backside in the middle of the hall.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!" He glared at the offender.

"Sorry Shadow, I was a bit distracted." The embarrassed Echidna rubbed the back of his neck before offering his friend a hand. Shadow grudgingly accepted it and was pulled to his feet.

"What are you doing here Knuckles?" He asked, less malice in his voice than there would've been had anyone else knocked him over. The Echidna's face suddenly went a shade of red similar to the hue of his fur.

"I I… was just uh…" Shadow chuckled.

"What did she say?" Knuckles took a couple of deep breaths.

"She wants to have lunch." He said with a smile. "She gets off in about an hour so I'm just hanging around for a bit."

"Well while you're here, follow me." Shadow turned back the way he had come, leaving a confused Echidna standing in the middle of the hallway.

Knuckles stood their, dumbfounded for a couple of seconds. "Wait up!"

* * *

"It seems that Telak has failed." In the middle of the countryside, two anthro, a purple Hedgehog and black Raven, were leaning against a roadside fence, looking over yellow fields of oilseed rape.

"That and the Hedgehog is under Shadowbane protection." The Raven said, watching a bird of prey hover over the yellow field in front of them. They were silent for a few minutes.

"We will keep to the code: one payment, one assassin." The Hedgehog looked up at his companion, who nodded his head in agreement.

"I will send a message to the Shadowbane. But we mustn't allow our order to be discovered." The Raven looked to the Hedgehog beside him. "Telak's brand must be destroyed, before someone recognises it."

"It will be done." The two anthro clasped their left hands together. "May your movements be silent."

"And your talons sharp." They both turned and walked towards their vehicles.

If someone had been observing, they would've noticed that they both had the same tattoo. A white talon on their left wrist.

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**I like leaving questions unanswered. Keeps readers wanting more.**

**Watch this space for the next chapter of FntS**


	3. Orders and new Faces

**So here we are, another chapter for your entertainment.**

**Legal stuff: Sonic and team don't belong to me, but OC's do.**

* * *

Rouge's pen skittered across the paper work that always somehow ended up on her desk. She kept glancing up at her desktop clock, willing the hands to turn faster and bring around her lunch break. There was a knock at the door and she looked up from her work.

"Miss Bat? The Commander wants to see you in his office." Rouge nodded to the human and he left. Sighing heavily, realising that she'd be taking most of that paperwork home with her, Rouge pushed away from her desk and walked out of her office.

She shared inconsequential chatter with some of her co-workers as she made her way towards the elevator. Pushing the button for the top floor, she folded her arms and waited, as the same annoying track played over and over again.

* * *

"My morgue is not a walk in peepshow!" Bawled Sheba, as her autopsy room was invaded by Shadow and a confused looking red Echidna. Shadow raised a hand to stop her ranting.

"Relax Sheba, Knuckles is going to help me in this investigation."

"I'm what!" Knuckles exclaimed in shock. The ginger feline huffed and crossed her arms, scalpel still in hand.

"Recruiting again Shadow?" The ebony Hedgehog gave her a withering look that once had Eggman and Sonic both quailing in his sight, Sheba didn't even flinch. "I've spent most of my life staring death in the face, is that meant to scare me?"

Knuckles was taken aback by the Cats dicing with death, but to his surprise Shadow began to laugh. Sheba chuckled lightly, amusement shining in her light blue eyes.

"Did I miss something?" He asked, looking from one anthro to the other.

"No you didn't Knuckles, just a running joke between us." Shadow answered.

"Yeah. First time we met, he glared at me and I glared right back." She prodded Shadow in the chest with an extended finger. "You've never lived that down."

"Yeah, yeah. Could you show my friend here what you found?"

"Sure thing." Sheba waved Knuckles to join her by the table. She showed him what she had shown Shadow earlier, keying him into what they had discovered so far in their investigation.

* * *

Rouge walked into her Commanders office and stood with her hands on her hips.

"You wanted to see me Sir?" The human Commander of G.U.N looked up from his work and regarded her with cold eyes. He laid his pen down and reached for a file.

"Satellite reports indicate an increase in electrical activity within the vicinity of the Death Egg debris site." Rouge took the file and began to skim-read the contents. "It will be a covert drop. You will investigate the disturbance and report back your findings at a predetermined date."

Rouge's eyes glazed over as she listened to the Commander go over the mission parameters. She would be flying out this very evening. The first thing to go through her mind was the fact that she wouldn't be able to keep her lunch date with Knuckles.

"Do you understand Agent Rouge?" She mentally shook herself and brought her attention back to the man sat before her.

"Yes Sir, I understand. I'll be… I'll go get prepared." She saluted and left the office, her heart feeling heavy in her chest.

The Commander sighed when Rouge had left his office. He reopened the file resting on his desk and read through the reports for the shooting at the celebration two days ago. Hundreds of witnesses and yet not one of them had seen the shooter. He reached out a finger and pressed the flashing intercom.

"Tell Agent Shadow that he is to come to my office immediately."

"Yes Sir." Came the reply from his secretary. The Commander shook his head as he looked at the profile report. He pushed the intercom again.

"And send me in a coffee, I'm going to need."

* * *

"So this guy was the target?" Knuckles stood next to Sheba the forensic pathologist, looking over the lifeless Crow on the table.

"Yes he was. Judging by the entry wound of the bullet, it was a high angled shot, and into a crowd? It would've been one hell of a shot to make."

"That's an understatement." Shadow stepped forward. "The shooter knew his target, there's no doubt in that. But we want to find out who his target was."

"Didn't he have a wallet on him or something?" Asked Knuckles. Shadow shook his head.

"Nothing."

"We've pulled finger prints, taken a graft of his teeth and ran his DNA through the system." Sheba listed. "So far nothings come up."

Shadow lowered his face towards the Crow's beak. "Who are you?"

The phone in the corner of the autopsy room began ringing and Sheba walked over to answer it. Knuckles moved to stand besides Shadow.

"So how do you think I can help you with this?" Knuckles would be the first to admit that he had no idea how to be a big G.U.N Agent. Ask him to stand around guarding a big glowing rock and he'd be the best man for the job, but this?

"Honestly, not much. I want you here because I'm fed up with the Commander trying to lumber me with a partner." The ebony Hedgehog stood back upright and looked at the dejected Echidna.

"Oh thanks, I feel a lot better now." He was about to snap back at Knuckles, when Sheba called from across the grey room.

"Shadow, the Commander wants to see you in his office."

Shadow scowled and, turning on his heel, marched out of the room.

"I'm guessing there's bad blood between Shadow and the Commander." Said Knuckles, his eyes still on the flapping sheet of plastic where Shadow had stormed out. Sheba sighed and placed the phone back on the hook.

"You could say that." She fixed the Echidna with a friendly gaze. "Knuckles wasn't it?" He nodded. She smiled. "It was very nice to meet you. Now get the hell out of my lab!"

Knuckles scrambled out of the autopsy room as fast as his feet could carry him, leaving behind a smiling ginger Cat who was calmly cleaning her equipment while humming a generic tune.

* * *

Shadow stalked past the cowering Squirrel behind her desk, and slammed open his Commanders door, sending splinters flying into the room beyond. His red eyes instantly focused on the clear blue of the human.

"What do you want now?" The human that Shadow had long come to despise looked up from the paper work on his desk.

"Shadow." He calmly handed a piece of paper to the ebony Hedgehog, who snatched it from his hands. Shadow's crimson eyes narrowed as he scanned the piece of paper.

"I don't work with others." Shadow crushed the sheet of paper and threw it back at the Commander, who sat with barely contained rage as it bounced off his chest.

"And if it were up to me, you would be rotting in Prison Island for what you did on the ARK and during the Black Arms invasion!" The Commander slammed his palm against the table, his face contorted with anger.

The face of the Squirrel secretary peered around the remains of the door.

"Sir? There's someone here to see you."

"Send them in." The Squirrel nodded and disappeared. Shadow and the Commander continued to glare at each other, both silently daring the other to make the first move.

"Am I interrupting something?" They both turned and regarded the newcomer.

In the doorway stood a female Hedgehog with lavender fur and seven long quills reaching down her back. She was wearing a standard issue G.U.N uniform with the ranking of Lieutenant on her right shoulder. She had a small smirk on her face, and her hazel eyes were fixed on Shadow.

"Ah, it's about time you got here." The Commander leaned back in his chair. "Shadow, I'd like to meet your new partner, Agent Casie Rahna." Shadow glared at his Commander, fists clenching.

"I told you, I work alone!"

"Not any more Shadow." Shadow turned his glare at the lavender Hedgehog as she stood at ease next him. She smirked at him, making his blood boil. "It has come to my attention that you have no experience with this kind of case. Miss Rahna does."

He passed a case file to Agent Rahna before continuing.

"I want this shooter caught." He glared at the ebony Hedgehog standing with his arms folded. "Make it happen." Shadow grunted and turned to leave.

"Will do Sir." Said Casie, saluting before turning to follow her new partner.

The human watched them make their way towards the elevator, before calling for his secretary.

"Miss Acorn, order me a new door."

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**Don't you just hate bosses?**

**I enjoyed writing this one. Hope you've enjoyed reading it.**

**As usual: read, review, ridicule. Constructive criticism appreciated.**


	4. Body Snatchers

**Damn I've been gone for a while. Sorry this took so long, I'm working on several other projects at the same time.**

**Anyway, Sonic and Co. don't belong to me yadda yadda...**

**Warning: This chapter includes a very pissed off Cat, so expect profanity.**

* * *

"I'm going to need to see all the evidence you've already assembled, and speak with the pathologist who conducted the autopsy." Shadow cursed silently as he strode back down the corridor, his new partner, Agent Cassie Rahna right behind him. She was reading through the case file without looking where she was going, talking rapidly even though Shadow refused to even acknowledge her, and yet somehow he hadn't been able to lose her.

"Then you'll take me to the scene of the shooting to see if the original team missed something." The lavender Hedgehog continued. Shadow growled as he thumped the call button for the elevator.

"What's strange is that we've got nothing on the victim, no profile, no friends or family coming forward, not even a missing persons report! It's like he doesn't exist!" Shadow sighed in relief when the elevator door opened, perhaps he could lose himself in today's generic tune. His eyes widened when he saw who else was in the elevator.

"Knuckles, what's wrong?" He asked as the two agents stepped into the small room. The red Echidna's shoulders were sagging, his head lowered with red circling his eyes.

"Oh hey Shadow." He croaked back. Cassie pushed the button for the morgue.

"You don't look good Knuckles, what's happened?" Knuckles sniffed deeply and rubbed at his eyes.

"It's just Rouge. She…"

"Is that Agent Rouge Bat you're talking about?" Asked Cassie.

"What about her?" Shadow asked, ignoring the agent next to them.

"She said something had come up. What did I do wrong Shadow?" The ebony Hedgehog glared at his lavender counterpart. He had no doubt what had happened and he wanted to blame someone.

"She's probably been sent on an urgent mission. She'll be back and then she'll explain everything. Trust me." Shadow put his arm around the shoulder of his Echidna friend. Knuckles sniffed deeply and looked at the ebony Hedgehog he had come to know as a friend.

"Thanks Shadow." Smiling, Shadow clapped his friend on the shoulder.

"No problem. I couldn't have you mopping all the time now could I?"

"What do you mean by that Shadow?" Cut in Cassie.

"It means Knuckles here is helping me with this case."

The doors opened and Shadow steered Knuckles down the corridor to the morgue, making a rather annoyed Hedgehog have to jog to keep up.

* * *

Slowly she pulled on her black skin-tight jumpsuit. Rouge had done this so often that it was now just habit, leaving her mind to wonder onto other things, like the panging feeling of sorrow and regret in her chest. She finished suiting up, stretched her wings and opened the door, walking slowly towards the waiting aircraft.

She walked silently past other Agents and workers running around with the final preparations for takeoff, and climbed up the loading ramp. She took a seat next to Topaz, her partner and long time friend.

"Something on your mind?" Rouge looked up at her partner. After a moment she looked back down to the floor of the aircraft. "Rouge?"

"Why now?" The question was so quiet Topaz had to move closer just to hear it. "Why did something have to happen now? He asked me out Topaz, and now this…"

Topaz put an arm around the Bat's shoulders, and Rouge rested her head on her friends shoulder.

"This sort of thing always happens. But don't be upset. If what you say about Knuckles is true, he'll wait."

Rouge let a single tear roll out the corner of her eye as the loading ramp rose up and the engines began to roar.

* * *

Sheba strolled back into her morgue, a cup of steaming coffee in her hands to find three suited men zipping up the body of the Crow.

"What are you doing?" Startled, the three turned and looked at her. One of them, a green furred Rabbit waved the other two back to work and approached her, pulling a sheet of paper from his pocket.

"We're here to take this body, orders from the head pathologist." He smiled as Sheba took the sheet of paper and turned to one of the sides.

"Well everything seems in order." She said, placing down her coffee. She suddenly grabbed a metal tray and spun round, smashing it into the face of the startled Rabbit, who crumpled to the floor. "Except I am the head pathologist! Security!" The other two, who had managed to get the body onto a gurney, drew pistols from inside their suits. One fired at the ginger Cat as she dived for cover behind a metal dissection table, before following the gurney out of the morgue.

* * *

Hearing the shout and subsequent gunfire, Shadow, Knuckles and Cassie started to run down the corridor, Cassie pulling a pistol from its holster as they went. They raced through the plastic sheeting and into the morgue. Shadow and Knuckles sprinted past the unconscious Rabbit on the floor and through the heavy doors at the other side of the room following the commotion. Cassie knelt down next to the ginger Cat, who was clutching her side, grimacing in pain.

"Fucking Bastards!" The Cat bellowed.

"Where are you hit?"

"Where the fuck do you think I've been hit? Where the blood is genius!"

"Alright, hold on." Cassie reached for her radio and called for a medical team.

* * *

They sprinted past the glass cubicles of other Agents and forensic scientists, many of whom were either cowering behind desks, or helping injured to their feet. More shots could be heard, and Shadow say two armed Agents under fire from three black suited anthro, covering the escape of two others pushing a gurney.

"Knuckles, help those Agents, I've got the body!" As he ran, Shadow reached into his quills and pulled out his own pistol which he hadn't used since the Black Doom invasion. He sprinted through a cubical and smashed through the glass, ending up behind the three black suited shooters, who he ignored in favour of the two running with the gurney.

Knuckles leapt through the hole Shadow had made and turned on the shooters. Clenching his fists, he sent one flying through another glass cubical before grappling with another for his gun. One of the GUN Agents took advantage of Knuckles' distraction and shot the other black suited anthro in the chest.

* * *

The gurney crashed through the door.

"Quickly, get it in!" Shouted the purple Hedgehog from the back of the waiting van. They swiftly and unceremonious threw the remains of the dead Crow into the back. The purple Hedgehog hammered on the ceiling of the van and the engine roared into life.

Shadow shouldered himself through the door to see the van, its back doors still hanging open, drive quickly down the alleyway. He aimed and fired, feeling satisfied to watch one of the black suits fall out of the moving van.

"Shit!" He dove into cover as a hail of bullets pounded around him. The screech of tires told him that they had turned the corner and had escaped. "Damn it!"

He thumped the dumpster he had used as cover and instantly regretted it as pain rocketed through his hand.

* * *

He walked back in to find that Cassie Rahna had taken charge and was helping to coordinate a clean up effort. Agents, scientists and medical personnel were clearing through the mess, seeing to injured and attempting to return things to a semblance of normality. Upon seeing him, Cassie waved to Knuckles who had been helping medic with an injured Agent. They both walked over to Shadow, who was rubbing his fist.

"I'm guessing they got away." Said a downhearted Cassie.

"Not all of them, I got one as they were trying to escape." Cassie waved to a passing medic.

"Check the alley for a body." Knuckles looked at the chaos surrounding them.

"What did they want?"

"They got what they were after." Cassie and Knuckles looked at Shadow, both knowing what had been taken.

"But why would anyone want to steal a body from GUN?" Wailed Cassie, running her hand frustratingly through her hair. Shadow shrugged.

"I don't know, but maybe one of our new corpses might have something to say."

"We've also got two breathing. We might get some information from them." Said Knuckles.

"Lets hope so, or this case just got a whole lot harder."

* * *

**Things start to heat up for Shadow and the team.**

**The idea for the stealing of the body came from a crime TV series which I can't for the life of me remember.**

**Any ideas?**

**Anyway, hopefully it won't be as long before the next chapter is up.**

**Ttfn.**


	5. Silent Steps

**Hello all, CorruptTE here.**

**One more chapter of FntS for your enjoyment.**

**As usual the only things I own are the story and a couple of OC's.**

**Everything else belongs to SEGA.**

* * *

"Entering radio dead zone in 5!" Crackled the pilot's voice over the internal com-link.

"You heard him. Command won't be keeping you company on this one." Said Topaz, strapping her safety harness to the safety bar. Rouge sauntered to the back of the GUN aircraft, preparing for her jump.

"I feel lonely already." The sarcasm was obvious in her tone of voice.

"Remember Rouge, this is only a recon mission. Get in, have a look-see and get out. Nothing special." Rouge adjusted the straps of her gloves and stretched her wings to full length.

"I got it Topaz, don't overstay my welcome." The red light turned on and the loading ramp lowered.

"Good luck Rouge." Topaz shouted over the noise. The white Bat smiled up at her human partner.

"See you on the other side." The green light switched on and Rouge dove out of the aircraft into the inky black sky. The wind howled past her head as she plummeted away from the high-altitude plane. Reaching speeds above 400 miles per hour, the ground was shooting towards her.

The wreckage of the Death Egg was strewn for hundreds of miles around the impact crater, but the main bulk had somehow survived its fall to earth. It was there she would begin her search.

Picking her moment, Rouge shot out her wings. She was thrown back as her top speed dropped dramatically. Angling her decent she aimed for the remaining metallic moustache of the Death Egg.

Still falling at over a hundred Mph and her target very close indeed, she stretched her wings completely, easing her decent and eventually landing softly on the end of the bulbous metal nose.

She edged her way along the giant metal whisker towards a large crack in the structure and slipped inside. She took a moment for her eyesight to grow accustomed to the darkness of the corridor before she set off.

Using her large ears she followed the tiny humming sound echoing from the depths of this once deadly space station. A number of times she thought she heard the muffled sound of footsteps behind her, or the robotic clicking's of a swat-bot waiting round the corner, but each time she turned her head she was treated with nothing but dark corridors stretching away from her.

Her heart thudding in her chest, she slowly walked down into the dark depths of Robotnik's grand death machine, her soft footsteps echoing loudly off the walls despite her best attempts at walking silently.

A flicker of light from a doorway and she stopped. Craning her ears she listened intently, hearing nothing. Due to the lack of power the automatic door hadn't fully closed. Slowly and carefully she slid the door open and stepped inside; following the steady low hum of some sort of machine.

As she moved slowly into the darkness, a silent silhouette appeared and disappeared with the flickering of the damaged overhead light.

* * *

Shadow stalked through the corridor to his very seldom used office. He kicked open the door and walked up to his desk.

"You do know this is my office right?" He growled at the anthro sat in his chair.

"Like you ever use it." Bit back Cassie Rahna as she paged through the preliminary reports on the fire fight earlier that very same day. She had taken off her officer's jacket which was now handing off the back of Shadow's door, leaving her wearing her grey fatigue trousers, black boots and a plain off-white t-shirt.

Shadow grunted and held out the small cardboard cup of black liquid.

"Here, I thought you'd need it." Looking up for the first time since he had entered, Cassie reached out and accepted the steaming cup with a smile. Shadow could see the dark rings of exhaustion around her eyes. Ever since the shooting down in the morgue, Cassie had been writing and reading reports, filling out various forms and typing like a women obsessed on the computer.

She took a deep sip and sighed. "Thanks Shadow." He grunted again as she went back to work. He looked at the darkness outside the window and then to the clock on his desk.

"Look, Cassie we um." She looked back up at the ebony hedgehog. "We got off on the wrong foot." He stopped when he heard her laughing lightly. Anger boiled within him and her was about to snap when she waved him down.

"Sorry Shadow." She said slowly regaining her composter. "It's just I've read your file, and the thought of you apologising is just…"

She once more degraded into laughter. Shadow folded his arms, an amused smirk appearing at the corner of his mouth and waited for the lavender hedgehog to calm herself down. Eventually her laughs were mere giggles and sniggers.

"Finished?" Not trusting herself to answer, Cassie just nodded. Shadow pointed his finger to the window. "Unless you haven't noticed, it's late. Haven't you got a home to go to?" She shook her head, amusement still on her face.

"Only an apartment. Besides, I'm not ti…" She interrupted herself with a long yawn. "…red."

"Really." Replied an unconvinced Shadow. Cassie looked down sheepishly and took another sip of her coffee. Shadow sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Look. The building's practically dead, Sheba, the pathologist you want to speak to has been taken to the hospital, Knuckles has already gone back home and I'm about to do the same. I'm not about to leave you to try and solve this case by yourself."

Cassie studied her partner for a moment before relenting under his gaze.

"All right Shadow, you win." She saved her work on the computer before turning it off, gathered up all the loose pieces of paper and shoved them into Shadow's desk draw. Standing up she stifled another yawn before grabbing her jacket from the door. She followed Shadow out into the hallway and he closed the door.

They walked in silence to the elevators. Shadow pushed the button for the company car-park and started tapping his foot to the random tune as the rumble of the cables shook around them.

"Say Shadow, you don't look tired at all. What's up with that?" Shadow looked at her for a moment.

"If you really want to know, I take naps." He turned back to the metal doors and the tapping of his foot.

"You take naps?"

"Sometimes this job does murder to your sleeping pattern, so I've learnt to take naps." Cassie looked at him.

"Where do you go? I've never seen a report filed against you." Shadow chuckled.

"I sleep in the morgue. Sheba puts white sheeting over me and says I'm a new body, wakes me up after about an hour or if someone calls." With a beep and a shudder the elevator came to a halt and the doors opened. The two agents walked into the silent concrete car-park.

"Wait, you pretend you're dead?"

"I've tried sleeping in my office with a sign saying 'Wake me and you die.' But people just don't get the message." Shadow fished his keys out from his quills and clicked the button to unlock his black Landover.

"Nice car." Remarked Cassie, stifling another yawn.

"Where's yours?" Still yawning, Cassie waved at a banged up looking Ford Fiesta. Shadow frowned at the poor excuse for a vehicle. "You really need to get that thing looked at."

"Can't afford it." Cassie answered, stretching as she walked towards her vehicle.

"Wait. Can't afford it?" The lavender hedgehog opened the driver side door and looked across to Shadow.

"You're the top agent here Shadow. You get the big pay-check, not grunts like me." With a smile and a wave she sat down and closed the door and wound down the window.

Shadow watched as she started the engine and pulled out of her parking space.

"See you tomorrow Shadow." She called as she drove past him and out into the empty streets.

Thoughtfully Shadow climbed into his own vehicle and set off into the night. First thing he'd do tomorrow would be to visit Sheba in hospital before interviewing the two surviving anthro who had assisted in the theft of the body of the nameless crow.

* * *

The purple hedgehog leant against the metal barrier between him and the rolling ocean spanning out before him. He didn't look up as a black raven walked up to join him. Together they looked out across the star speckled water.

"The loss of brothers Otenn and Menaer is regrettable." Said the raven after a few minutes in silence. "It was a great risk to assault GUN headquarters like that. We may have lost much more than we have gained."

"It was unlucky Menaer was confronted by the head pathologist. Had it been anyone else our brothers would both still be here." The purple hedgehog mood was reflected in his tone of voice. He regretted the heavy cost it had taken to retrieve the body.

"Nether-the-less, because of your actions today, brother Telak has been laid to rest, his ashes scattered to the four winds." The hedgehog slammed his hand against the railing.

"Because of my actions, brother Otenn is dead! And brother Menaer now rests in a GUN holding cell!" The raven stood motionlessly against the hedgehog's outburst.

"Calm yourself. Keep watch and update me to any changes." The raven turned to leave. "May your movements be silent." He climbed into a waiting car and was driven away, leaving the purple hedgehog gazing across the azure waters.

* * *

**Bet you guys forgot about them didn't you.**

**Not much to write here but hope you're enjoying reading these as much as I am writing them.**

**This is CorruptTE signing off.**


	6. Shot in the Metalic Graveyard

**Chapter 6! Seriously though, I never thought I'd see FntS become more than a one-shot, let alone become my first series!**

**I want to thank Luna Stellanova, Mnicknack, OddSakura, kharmachaos and Outis aka nobody for the continuing support.**

**Anyway, time for the legal stuff: I only own the OC's, everything else belongs to SEGA and the Sonic Team.**

**Now, ON WITH THE CHAPTER!**

* * *

Knuckles paced fitfully around the Master Emerald shrine. His minds eye was swimming with images of what happened throughout the day. He stopped suddenly as a ball of bright red light flew in front of him.

"You're restless Knuckles, what is the matter?" The spirit Tikal hovered uncertainly before the guardian.

"If you could change, become whatever you wanted. What would you be?" His voice was almost a whisper drifting on the wind. Tikal slowly shifted into her echidna form. Their eyes met and she knew what he meant.

"You're not happy are you." Knuckles looked away from the shrine to the night sky.

"I've questioned my duty before, but today I was given a taste of what a normal life was like. A job with friends and co-workers." He turned suddenly and faced her, excitement glistening in his eyes. "Today I met a cat who isn't afraid of Shadow, and finds out how people have died! People smiled at me when I walked past, and Rouge..." He trailed off as he remembered Rouge and her teary eyes apology. Tikal watched on with sorrow coursing through her as the once proud echidna slowly slumped down onto the cold stone steps.

"I'm sorry Knuckles." She said quietly.

"It's not fair..." She sat down next to him and wrapped her arms around him. Knuckles laid his head on her shoulder as tears slowly burnt their track down his muzzle.

Tikal held him like this until his eyelids grew heavy and sleep took him. She gently laid the guardian down, her own eye glistening with tears.

"If only we could do something." She said to the open sky around her. A thought quickly came to her, her eyes darted to the Master Emerald. She nodded her head, a smile creeping across her lips.

* * *

She clambered into the silent ventilation shaft and stifled a yawn. Rouge hated these long operations deep in enemy territory, there was never anywhere comfortable to sleep.

She had traversed quietly deep into the bowels of Dr. Robotnik's Death Egg, finding little in the way of obstacles or resistance. Now she was tired. And if her watch was anything to go by, the rest of Station Square would be fast asleep by now.

After setting up an early warning system in the form of an infrared trip beam over the entrance, the white bat settled down for an uncomfortable night and dreams of a certain red echidna.

* * *

A wicked smile graced his features as he watched his prey huddle down for the night. His thin fingers ran gently up and down the slender blade of his knife. The flat of the blade had small scratches tallying up the number of lives that its wielder had taken with it. Upon the hilt was a small silver engraving of a talon.

His orders were to watch the bat, his prey, and keep her from the core of the downed space station by any means necessary.

His scales hissed silently across the metallic floor. His tongue darted out from between his fangs, tasting the cold, stale air. Easily avoiding the crude laser wire he edged closer, closer. Now mere inches away from her, he smiled his wicked smile.

He had enjoyed tracking her, hunting her through this robotic graveyard, but now the hunt was over. He held his knife lightly in his left hand as he hovered over her peacefully sleeping form.

He inhaled her scent deeply, tasting her fear, her anxiety. His knife point drifted towards her throat as she sighed in her sleep. He could almost hear her blood coursing through her veins, could see the minute flickers of her eyes beneath their eyelids as she dreamed her inconsequential dreams.

He licked his dry lips as he tensed, ready to pierce his prey's throat and end her pitiful existence.

A buzzing in his ears forestalled him.

Glaring down at the beautiful face of his helpless victim, he silently slid away from her, past the infrared beam and back into the darkness. His hunt would have to go on.

* * *

He glided into the dimly lit round chamber.

"The fact we yet remain in your employment is being discussed in great detail by the other Grand Talons." Three others were in the room. A grey fox, the fat insane human sitting in a large chair, and a seven foot tall, armour clad killing machine which acted as the human's bodyguard.

"I was under the impression that you would continue to serve me until Sonic was eliminated." Said the human with a sneer. The grey fox bristled with annoyance.

"Dr. Robotnik. The payment you offered the Talon order was only enough to warrant the use of a single assassin. Brother Telak failed, and he paid for that failure with his life. Brother Seniva only remains as a good will token." The corner of Seniva's lip twitched upwards at the mention of his rival's death.

"Do not toy with me!" Shouted Robotnik, rising swiftly to his feet. The robot readied its weapon. The grey fox took a step back from the chair. "Like you assassins, I have eyes and ears everywhere." Dr. Robotnik slowly lowered himself back into his seat and motioned the robot to stand down.

"I know the true reason behind Telak's failure, these so called Shadowbane." The human pushed a button on one of the chair arms, and a large computer screen flickered to life. "I also know that they have accepted a contract placed on my head. So tell me, dear Eethan, do you truly believe that I require your protection?"

Seniva's eyes drifted to the images showing on the flickering on screen. Sonic the Hedgehog, the target of Telak's failed hunt. And a nameless brown eagle.

"I'm sure you recognise both of these individuals." Said Robotnik, his voice echoing around the suddenly silent room. "The hedgehog I hired you to take care of and the very Shadowbane who killed your dear brother Telak. In return for disposing of that pesky Sonic, I will expose this Shadowbane for you to take your revenge."

"Although taking revenge on the Shadowbane is indeed something we all wish for, we will not provide a second assassin. One payment, one Talon. That is the code, and we must abide. Fair well Dr. Robotnik. I hereby sever our deal. You are on your own." Eethan turned curtly on his heel and marched towards the door.

He never made it. The gunshot rang loudly within the small room. The grey fox fell to his knees; a smoking exit wound in his chest, and slumped forwards onto the floor.

"Now, Seniva wasn't it?" The crimson and yellow serpent looked up from the cooling body of his former Talon master into the red pupils of Dr. Robotnik. "I have a proposition for you. Either you put aside your allegiance to the Talon's and join me, or you can share the same fate as your friend there."

The robot took a thudding step forwards, the barrel of its gun still smoking slightly. Seniva licked his dry lips.

"I think that under the circumstances, I can see the logic behind your actions. My blade is yours Dr. Robotnik." He bowed his head as his new master laughed manically, the reverberations amplifying the madness that thundered from the humans' lungs.

* * *

Woken by the loud crack of gunfire, Rouge laid as still as she could, hardly daring to breathe let alone move. Slowly she deactivated her early warning system and stowed it away. She carefully clambered down, her feet touching silently to the floor.

Her heart was pounding beneath her breast, her breath, although shallow was ragged and came in short gasps. Her ears swivelled, catching the echoes of crazed laughter close by. Her right hand went to the compact pistol at her waist as she edged forwards, towards the laughter.

She darted into the shadows as two figures came through a dimly backlit doorway. Two Eggman robots marched past, carrying something. Rouge's breath caught in her throat when she saw the lifelessness in the eyes of the grey fox. She stayed hidden for more than fifty heartbeats, listening intently to the murmured conversation through the door. She couldn't quite hear what was being said, and fear kept her from attempting to get any closer.

She quickly decided that this was all the information she needed to present to her Commander and silently began to retrace her steps back towards sky, fresh air and freedom.

* * *

**Looks like Rouge has already outstayed her welcome.**

**I enjoyed writing this chapter maybe a little too much.**

**Till next time, Corrupt TE is outta here!**


	7. Bonding and Bullets

**I couldn't get my head together to write this, but its finished now.**

**Chapter 7: Bonding and Bullets.**

* * *

Shadow skilfully dodged the hurled TV remote.

"Why do I always end up with the broken TV!" Exclaimed the irate feline lying in the hospital bed. Shadow had decided to begin the new day by visiting Sheba in Station Square hospital. As expected, she had been terrorizing the nurses and interns alike.

Her usual clothes had been replaced by a basic white gown. Her right side was heavily bandaged and her left arm in a sling. She had fractured it when she had dived for cover.

Chuckling, the ebony hedgehog reached up and switched off the buzzing screen.

"Now what am I going to watch?" Complained Sheba, folding her arms as best as she could.

"I find it very hard to believe you like watching daytime television." Said Shadow, sitting in the chair next to Sheba's bed.

"Of course not! Daytime TV is crap! But it does give me something to do." Shadow chuckled again, earning a grin from the ginger cat.

"Why are you here anyway Shadow?" Her right hand reached out and plucked a few grapes from the bunch brought in by the hedgehog.

"I've arranged to meet Cassie and Knuckles here to discuss the case and your findings." He nabbed a couple of grapes for himself, dodging out of Sheba's reach as she swiped at him.

"Great... Even in hospital I can't escape work."

"Don't give me that. If you had your own way, you would've marched down into the morgue and be working on the latest cadaver." With her mouth full, all the feline could do was glare at the smug looking hedgehog next to her.

Shadow threw one of his grapes into the air ready to catch it in his mouth, when he was distracted by the opening of door, causing the grape to bounce off his head.

"Sorry I'm a little late; I had to pick something up from the office." Said the lavender hedgehog who came in. In one hand she was carrying a bulky folder which looked like it would fall apart at any minute, while in the other was a bunch of flowers and a card. She handed the card and flowers over to the cat lying in bed. "These are for you."

"Who else would they be for? Shadow!" Sheba admired the flowers for a moment before looking up at the lavender hedgehog. "Thank you Cassie. All Shadow got me was this lousy bunch of grapes."

Shadow rolled his eyes, hardly surprised that he'd be the butt of the cat's jokes.

As the trio settled back down, Cassie began rifling through the heavy folder. A number of sheets fell from her grasp which Shadow stooped down to retrieve.

"Hey Cassie, what are these?" He held up a partly filled GUN employment and back pay requisition form. The name written at the top of them was clearly, Knuckles.

Cassie blushed and grinned sheepishly.

"You said Knuckles was helping you with this case and I couldn't find an 'Agent Knuckles' on the database so..." Sheba burst out laughing, causing the embarrassed hedgehog to hide her face behind the folder.

"She's your partner for one day, and she's already trying to screw the system! I'm loving this girl!"

"Command always said I was a bad influence." Shadow chuckled.

"Knuckles did risk his life yesterday, and we can't have him working for free." Said Cassie, lowering the folder, her face still a light shade of red. "You did mention in your Black Doom report that he helped you a number of times at great personal risk. Besides, it's not like anyone checked the amount of new recruits we got after the Chaos incident and Black Doom invasion."

Shadow looked impressed, a small smile in the corner of his mouth.

"So you know your way through all the loopholes?" The lavender hedgehog shrugged her shoulders.

"Not personally no, but I do know someone who does."

They spend the next few hours filing through reports, eye witness accounts and other case reports similar to their shooting. Knuckles had arrived not long after Cassie and was surprised to find out about her handiwork at making him a GUN agent.

They discussed potential avenues of investigation, and agreed that they would visit the scene of the crime as soon as they had left the hospital.

"So who's performing the autopsy's on the new dead guys?" Sheba asked.

Cassie flipped through the files in her hands. "A Dr. Gracian."

"Oh that's it!" The ginger feline threw the bed covers off her and swung her legs off the side. "I'm not having that inexperienced goat working in my lab!"

As her feet touched the floor, the blood rushed from her head. She teetered slightly, a hand coming to her forehead.

"Whoa, easy there." Knuckles had been first to his feet and helped steady the swaying feline.

"Thanks Knuckles." She breathed sitting herself down on the edge of her bed.

"You've got to be more careful Sheba, you lost quite a bit of blood." Cassie sat down next to the pale cat. Sheba smiled weakly at the three agents.

"Just need a drink of orange juice and I'll be fine." Shadow grunted.

"If it were up to me, you'd be working on those cadavers till your hearts content. But that's not my call to make." The ginger cat looked downcast as she wiggled back into bed with some help from Cassie.

"Don't worry, we'll keep you updated about everything."

"Be sure you do." Sheba replied, mock anger in her voice, but a smile on her lips.

* * *

"Sign here and here." Knuckles scribbled his signature where Cassie pointed.

"So now what?" He asked as she took the piece of paper from him and returned to the passenger seat in the front of Shadow's Landrover.

"Now I get my friend to file you into the system and you'll have been a GUN agent for two years." She carefully folded the piece of paper and slid it into her pocket.

They were on their way to the town hall and scene of the assassination, with hopes that they'd find something that the original team missed.

"So what does it mean, now that I'm a GUN agent?" Asked Knuckles.

"It means you need to get a bank account before the government realise their getting screwed and have me shoot you." Knuckles grinned until the awkward silence caused him to falter.

"They wouldn't make you do that, would they Shadow?" The ebony hedgehog answered only with a stare through the rear-view mirror. "Shadow?"

Cassie couldn't contain her amusement and burst out laughing. Shadow grinned, his eyes returning to the road.

"That's not funny Shadow." Knuckles pouted.

* * *

She reached her hand to her ear. The buzzing of her communicator told Rouge that she was nearing the edge of the radio dead-zone. She darted between the metallic rubble, sticking to the shadows as she attempted to avoid contact with Robotnik's sentries. Her legs felt like they were on fire as she ran from one piece of cover to the next.

She lent on what was left of a metal girder, panting hard to get her breath back.

"Topaz, come in." She dared to look over her hiding place, darting back down when she saw two patrol robots sweeping slowly towards her position.

"Topaz, if you can hear me respond. Please." Her heart was thudding hard and fast under her heart shaped breastplate.

Rouge sprinted from the shadows and ran as hard as she could towards another piece of debris. She spun into cover, reaching gingerly for her pistol,

"-spond! Repeat! Rouge can you hear me?" Her heart leapt at the sound of her partner's voice.

"Topaz!" She responded in an excited and relieved whisper. "I'm in it deep Topaz, I need out! Now!"

The crump of metal footsteps were getting closer. Rouge's palms were sweating. Holding her pistol in her right hand, she peeked out from cover.

"Intruder sighted." Her breath caught in her throat as the teal coloured death machine turned its body towards her and levelled the barrel of its weapon, its targeting laser sweeping over her.

"Topaz! I'm compromised!" Screamed the white bat as she sprinted away, firing her pistol back at the two patrol droids.

With a roar of jets, the yellow robot leapt into the air, firing its machine gun wildly at her. Bullets ricocheted off metal, buried themselves into the dirt and hammered down around her.

With a dull thunk, Rouge was sent sprawling to the floor. Crying out in pain, her right hand dropped her pistol and on reflex flew to her left shoulder. She struggled to her feet and staggered a few paces before coming face to face with the teal robot. With a crash the yellow one landed behind her, crushing her pistol underfoot.

"Target captured. Awaiting further orders."

Rouge's ears flattened in despair, tears of pain running down her face as hot blood seeped through her fingers. The sharp buzzing in her ear told her that her communicator was being blocked.

"Understood Master." With a hard shove, Rouge started the long walk back towards the Death Egg and an unknown fate.

* * *

Topaz sprinted down the corridor, barging past other agents. Reaching the stairs she hardly slowed down, taking them three at a time. Breathing heavily she barged through the door and past the surprised looking squirrel and through into her Commanders office.

"Sir! Agent Rouge has been captured!" Her breathing came in short ragged gasps in-between words. The greying Commander looked up from his desk. He was silent for a time before he looked away, anger in his eyes.

"Shit..." Her fixed Topaz with a sharp gaze and pushed his office intercom. "Contact our top agents. Code Red."

* * *

**Picture a camera shot where we zoom out from Rouge and the two robots to see the wreckage surrounding them with the Death Egg in the distance. That's the kinda image I was after. Whether it worked is another matter.**

**Yes I made Knuckles a GUN agent, so sue me. On second thoughts, don't do that.**

**This chapter is a bit slower than the others, but you've got to do character development some time.**

**Anyway, Corrupt TE is out!**


	8. Another Step

**I'm not dead. Honestly.  
It's been too long since I've updated this. (damn real life)  
Anyway, hope this chapter begins to make it up to you.**

**Legal stuff: Ah sod it, you know the drill.**

* * *

Shadow stared down at the city hall from his vantage point. Cassie was searching the area meticulously for any sign that a shooter had been stationed here.

Shadow stood where he believed the shooter had been standing. He looked down at the cordoned area, the white chalk outline visible even from this height. Two local city police officers were guarding the sight while G.U.N Agents worked with what little evidence found on scene in a small white tent.

He had heard that the governor had been relocated to a smaller, more secure office deeper in the city for his protection, although Shadow was certain that the greying bulldog had not been the intended target. Still he couldn't fault the reasons behind that course of action.

"Anything?" He asked over his shoulder, his eyes still watching the two police officers who were sitting on the steps of the city hall with what looked like a pizza box between them.

"Nothing." Replied Cassie, slumping down against the wall next to her partner. She turned her hazel eyes up at the ebony hedgehog. "Do you think Knuckles has had any luck? He doesn't seem like a people person."

Shadow snorted his amusement. They had left the echidna back down on the ground floor talking to the receptionist about the case in an attempt to gently ease him into the role of a G.U.N Agent.

"Probably not. The initial investigation team interviewed all workers who were here on the day of the shooting, but nothing really helpful came up."

"Yeah well, as soon as someone see's a G.U.N badge they instantly clam up, afraid we'll find out about all their silly little secrets." She grinned broadly but her good humour faltered when she didn't get the usual smirk from Shadow as she usually did.

"Shadow? What's up?" She noticed that his hand had gone to the communication device hook around his ear, one which all G.U.N operatives of a certain rank received instead of phones.

Shadow's stance changed. His knees bent slightly, his feet sliding to shoulder width apart, his fists clenched, his face drawing into a tight scowl. He reached into his quills and pulled out the keys to his Landrover and tossed them to a concerned looking Cassie.

"The case is yours." He said shortly before doing something he hadn't done for almost two years. "Chaos Control!"

* * *

He thanked the Doberman and Horse for their time and wrote down all the information they had told him into the notepad Cassie had given him with a smile. He had found out that on the day of the shooting, a brown eagle had come in, and collating that with what the receptionist had told him that eagle had been a complete stranger. Now all he had to do was get access to the security footage from that day, especially that from the elevator itself, and they would have a face to go on.

A sudden shiver ran down his spine, something he hadn't felt since...

His eyes widening he sprinted towards the elevator and hammered his finger against the button for the roof. Hopping from foot to foot he willed the metallic box to rise faster.

What had happened to make Shadow use Chaos Control after so long? Nothing good that's for sure.

As soon as the doors slid open the red echidna dashed through. He skidded to a halt almost immediately, seeing Cassie pacing back and forth with her phone pressed against her ear.

"Yes I quite understand, but- Yes ma'am." She stopped in her tracks, lowered her phone and pressed the button to hang up. "You uptight, bootlicking rodent! Hey Knuckles."

"What's going on? Where's Shadow? Who were you talking to?" He blurted out his mind reeling with possibilities.

"Relax Knux. Shadow most likely got a call from command too important to ignore and Chaos Controlled out of here."

"Wait, how'd you know about Chaos Control?" Cassie waved off the question.

"It was in his file. I was trying to find out what was so important that Shadow would drop this case, but the Commander's receptionist is as stubborn as a mule when it comes to ugh! Stubborn squirrel! I was leader of the underground fighting Robotnik while G.U.N was busy rebuilding after his attack!" She began prancing about imitating a high pitched and annoying voice. "I could run G.U.N better than anyone else. I've fought side by side with Sonic and helped defeat Robotnik! Gods, what a selfish, egotistical, arrogant little... Ugh!"

Cassie ceased her pacing and looked Knuckles in the eye, seeing his concern.

"I'm sorry Knuckles I shouldn't let it get too me." She sat down on the gravel, her back pressing against the cold concrete wall. Knuckles walked over and squatted in front of her.

"Hey it's alright."

"No it's not!" Cassie snapped making Knuckles fall backwards. "I've never been in charge of a case before! And Shadow's left me in charge! I'm doomed!"

She buried her face in her hands as Knuckles clambered back to his feet. He sat down next to her and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"You'll be fine, besides I think I've found something." Cassie looked up into his face. His smile was friendly and warm. She smiled back.

"You think so?"

"Yeah. Come on, I'll show you." Knuckles got back to his feet and held a hand out to help Cassie up. She grinned as she accepted and was hauled to her feet.

"I guess we'd better not disappoint Shads." She said with a mischievous grin. "Let's do this!"

* * *

Shadow appeared in a flash of green light outside the Commanders office, startling the brown squirrel behind her desk. He turned his glare on her.

"Has anyone else arrived?" He demanded, the harshness of his voice causing the receptionist to flinch. She shook her head, too afraid to speak.

Shadow snorted and pushed open the doors. The grey haired human looked up from his desk, slightly surprised to see Shadow had not kicked down his door for once.

"Shadow, I thought you would get here first." He picked up a folder and handed it to the hedgehog. Shadow opened it and began to skim-read the contents. "Agent Rouge was sent to investigate a rise in activity around the debris of the Death Egg. Three hours ago, Agent Topaz received this message."

He pushed a button on his desk and a recording began to play.

"-it deep Topaz, I need out! Now!" Shadow instantly recognised Rouge's voice. He also heard the sound of roaring jets and the heavy thump of footsteps.

"Intruder sighted." Shadow's eyes darted to the machine playing the recording, his pupils narrowing.

"Topaz! I'm compromised!" What followed was the sound of gunfire, a cry of pain then nothing. The Commander reached forwards and switched off the machine.

"Nothing follows after that. We assume that Robotnik's robots utilised a jamming signal the moment they realised she was sending a communication. And with the radio dead zone that surrounds the Death Egg wreckage sight, we have had no further contact." Shadow turned his eyes to his commander.

"No contact from Robotnik?"

"No." Replied the Commander with a shake of his head. He clenched his hands together and rested his elbows on his desk. "It is imperative she is recovered. If this incident shows us one thing, it's that Dr. Robotnik did indeed survive his last battle against Sonic the hedgehog."

"The Dr's like a damned cockroach!" Snapped Shadow, his eyes ablaze.

"Indeed. I have taken the liberty of informing Sonic of this development, he will be awaiting your arrival near Agent Rouge's last known location." The Commanders steely blue eyes focused on Shadow's blood red. "Bring her home Shadow."

"What of the other top Agents?" He inquired.

"Once I have debriefed them they will be on standby to act a backup on your command. They will be leading four full squads of soldiers. I will not allow Robotnik to escape again."

"Understood Commander."

"Good luck Agent Shadow." Shadow nodded curtly, turned on his heel and marched out of the office. The Commander leaned back in his high-backed chair and rubbed his eyes and the bridge of his nose. A flash of green light told him that Shadow had left. "Miss Acorn, come to my office."

After a few moments the brown squirrel walked through the still open doors.

"Yes Sir?"

"I understand that Agent Shadow was leading a team investigating the shooting at the city hall. You are in charge of the investigation until his return. Rendezvous with his team and do what you can to get the job done."

"Will do Commander." The squirrel replied, saluting before she left the office.

Once out of sight a broad grin came to her face. Finally Sally Acorn was getting back into the field.

* * *

**Admittedly not as long as I wanted but still.**

**I've decided to begin replying to each review I get, however whether I stick to it is another matter.**

**And don't worry, I'll be uping the pace of this story before long.**

**Corrupt TE is back folks!**


	9. Into the Dark

**Chapter 9 is up!**

**And all three plotlines take a nasty turn. Read on to find out.**

* * *

She wasn't sure how long she had sat there in the silence and darkness, her shoulder throbbing in pain. Rouge had been tied tightly to a small metallic chair and left in an empty room with nothing but four walls and a door. There was a small dangling light hanging from the ceiling but at the moment it was pitch black. Her eyes couldn't adjust to this extreme lack of light so she resorted to the only other way she could figure out her surroundings.

Opening her mouth she let loose a high-pitched scream, listening as the sound waves bounced back at her. There was nothing hiding in the darkness, no robots, no camera, just her and the chair she was tied up in.

She struggled at her bonds but couldn't find any movement, the thick rope cutting into her wrists during her struggle. Hissing through her teeth, she ignored the stinging sensation of her wrists and continued to struggle.

Her large and sensitive ears twitched at the steady thump of approaching heavy footsteps. She ceased her struggle and waited in the darkness.

With a loud scraping of metal, part of the metal wall slid open. Light poured into the small chamber causing Rouge to look away and snap her eyelids shut.

"It is such a pleasure to see you again." The drawling voice sent her heart racing, anxiety coursing through her veins, the voice of Robotnik.

With her eyes still closed against the light, Rouge listened as the demented scientist walked silently around her, his footsteps creating enough sound waves to allow her to 'see' just as well with her ears.

There was someone or something just outside her small prison, but the reverberations couldn't quite let her get a full image in her minds eye.

"I was wondering how long it would take for those fools at G.U.N to send someone here. I'm quite surprised that they didn't descend like vultures on a corpse after that wretched hedgehog sent my glorious creation crashing from the skies." Robotnik suddenly grabbed one of her ears and pulled her head harshly to one side so he could whisper in her other ear.

"So it begs the question, what should I do with you?" Rouge cringed in pain but refused to allow any sound to escape her lips.

"I'm certain G.U.N will send someone after you, it's just a matter of time." The overweight human continued. "And of course they know about me now, which means I must bring my plans forward."

"What are you up to Eggman?" She finally snapped, her eyes focusing on the bald-headed madman.

"Oh-ho! She speaks!" He exclaimed, a flash of light glinting off his glasses as he turned back to his captive. "Wouldn't you like to know? But it wouldn't be proper to spoil the surprise now would it?"

Rouge snarled at the doctor, showing her sharp fangs and pulling at her bindings in an effort to reach him, to which Robotnik only laughed.

"I'm sure my associate will make you as comfortable as possible during your stay." Eggman turned and walked out of the small metallic chamber, pausing for a moment to speak with the silhouetted figure silently watching. "Have fun Seniva, but keep her alive."

Rouge's eyes turned at last to the figure as it took a couple of paces into the room. All she saw before the wall closed and plunged them into darkness once more, was a pair of sinister yellow eyes.

* * *

Shadow glared at the metallic monstrosity of the Death Egg. Somewhere inside was his friend and the one who held her captive.

He was stood on a rocky outcropping near the edge of the impact crater. His keen eyes watching as Eggman robots patrolled the area near the crash zone.

The sudden kick-up of dust heralded the arrival of Sonic the hedgehog, self proclaimed 'fastest thing alive'.

"hey Shadoz, whats up?" Internally the ebony hedgehog bristled at the use of his unwanted nickname, but on the outside he remained straight faced and stoic.

"Robotnik's alive and Rouge has been captured. We're going to get her out."

"So what are we waiting for?"

Quick as a flash, Shadow grabbed the cobalt hero's wrist before he could run off.

"Not so fast Faker!" Sonic glared back, his usual carefree grin gone. "This is a G.U.N operation, you answer to me!"

The two hedgehogs glared at each other for a moment, before Sonic relented with a disgruntled grunt.

"Fine Shadow we'll do it your way, how d'ya wanna play this?" Shadow released his grip and stepped forward to stand next to his rival.

"We've managed to pinpoint Rouge's last know location before she fell off the grid. We'll start there." His eyes swept over the acrid, debris strewn landscape before them. "Quick and quiet, we don't want to set off any alarms."

"This is me you're talkin' to Shadow! When it comes to quick, I'm already there!" Sonic boasted with a chuckle.

"Just follow my lead and don't get spotted!" Snapped Shadow as they both darted down the hillside.

"If Eggman's still using those security swat bots he usually does, we've got nothing to worry about!" The cobalt teenager was running with his arms folded behind his head, a carefree smile plastered on his face. Shadow's face was set with grim determination as they dashed from cover to cover.

Shadow raised his hand and they both slowed to a stop. His blood red eyes scanned the area for any signs of movement. Confident they had yet to be detected he joined Sonic who was staring at what looked like the remains of one of Robotnik's Egg Mobiles.

"You know, I still have no idea how this thing got Eggman's fat butt in the air!" Said the free-spirited hero semi-wistfully, before shrugging in a nonchalant manner. "Who'd want give up running anyway?"

"In a world of so called progress, running is the least used method of transportation." Sonic snorted.

"You'd never catch me in a car." The disgruntled hedgehog walked away. A soft click underfoot caused him to stop. Looking down Sonic saw the crumpled remains of a small compact handgun. "Hey Shadow, over here!"

Sonic picked up the destroyed weapon and handed it to Shadow who looked it over with a critical eye.

"Standard issue compact, easy to conceal. Not as much stopping power as the standard hand cannon but..." He trailed off when he saw the small engraving of an emerald on the barrel of the pistol. As he focussed on the etching he saw a dark patch on the ground. Kneeling down he brushed his hand over the area, the tips of his white gloves coming away a dark crimson.

"Hey Shadz, i-is that blood?" Asked Sonic timidly. Shadow began scanning the ground around them, soon finding a trail of blood to follow.

"She's still alive!" He exclaimed, tossing the crumpled pistol to Sonic, who fumbled the catch before stowing it away in his quills.

"How can you be so sure?"

"There's not enough blood spill to warrant a fatal shot, and look, no drag marks. She was escorted away at gun point. We follow this trail, we'll find her." Shadow stood, his eyes ablaze as he pulled his own gun from his quills and cocked it.

"Whoa! Shadow, what are you doing?"

"Our mission is to find Rouge and get her out, before signalling the boys to do a much needed clean up."

"Yeah, but what's the gun for?" Shadow glared at the crashed Death Egg in the distance, his finger hovering close to the trigger.

"If we run into Robotnik, I'm going to make certain that he will never hurt anyone ever again!"

* * *

"I can't believe the original investigators couldn't put two and two together! With the clear footage of the possible suspect you've found, we can catalogue what we know and create a timeline of events, utilising footage from street cameras following the suspect too and from the scene! Admittedly it won't be easy to sort out and it'll take ages before we can get anything useful out of it, but with those other town locked up from the body snatching, I think we're well on the way to cracking this case!"

Knuckles could only sit in wide-eyed wonder as Cassie simultaneously weaved Shadow's big black Landrover through lunchtime traffic and babble excitedly about their progress, hardly pausing for breath.

"I only hope those bodies in the chiller can give us something new to go on. That and whether we can get the guys in the clanger to scream eh?" She laughed lightly, Knuckles smiled nervously. "God I wish Shadow were here, he'd love this!"

"You look up to Shadow don't you?" Asked Knuckles, cringing as Cassie sped them past an oncoming vehicle at alarming speed.

"Well, yeah I do. I was nobody, a mere grunt when that Black Doom thing tried to take over the world." Her face became serious as she remembered the invasion.

"I was part of the platoon trying to hold the highway. We were getting slaughtered. Most of our vehicles were out of commission and it didn't look like we'd make it! But then Shadow turned up. With his help we pushed back the Black Arms and secured the highway, giving a chance for several platoons from the city to break through and secure a new front." Tears gleamed in the corners of her eyes.

"We lost a lot of men that day. But Shadow, he's something else. He saved a lot of lives, including mine! I owe him everything. And now I'm here. Partnered with the man who saved my life, who inspired me to become who I am today! It's like a dream come true."

They remained in silent contemplation for the remainder of the journey. Pulling into the multi-storeyed car park, Cassie flashed her identification to the guard and parked in Shadow's space.

"Come on, we'd better drop this stuff off in Shadow's office before heading down to the morgue." She said, pointing to the small box of security footage tapes. She picked up a folder of photographs and files, leaving the box for Knuckles, and led the way to the office of the top Agent.

"Hey Cassie, don't you have an office?" Enquired Knuckles as they walked down the corridor towards Shadow's door.

"Not really, I have a desk. And a chair, um... I'm not a top ranking Agent; I'm just, well... I'm just me." She replied slightly downhearted.

"You're not just you. You're one of the few people I've ever met who Shadow likes! Heck, Sonic can barely get the time of day from him!" Cassie smiled at the echidna.

"Thanks Knuckles. Now let's show the others what we can do before we- Sally!"

The lavender hedgehog opened the door to find a light brown squirrel with shoulder length dark auburn hair, wearing a light blue open sleeveless jacket over her dark blue G.U.N uniform, sitting behind Shadow's desk and reading through the files Cassie had left behind the previous evening.

"What are you doing here?" The squirrel looked up from her reading and smiled coyly.

"It's nice to see you to Cassie. I'm just reading what information we have for my investigation." Cassie bristled at the false sincerity in her voice.

"You're investigation? Shadow left me in charge!" Sally shook her head, her smile broadening.

"The Commander himself has placed me in charge Agent Rahna, if you have any complaints please direct them to him. Now, what have you got their?" Scowling, Cassie handed over the folder to Sally's outstretched hand.

"New information regarding the scene of the crime, as well as footage of a possible suspect ma'am." She waved Knuckles forward, who put the box on the desk in front of the squirrel.

"Knuckles? Why are you here, shouldn't you be getting back to the Master Emerald?"

"I-I-I came t-to visit Cassie. Sh-she's a go-good friend a-and I-" Sweat began to glisten on his forehead as Sally's eyes bored into his.

"You don't have to cover for us Knuckles." Sally turned her attention to the hedgehog. "Agent Shadow requested Knuckles' aid in this investigation, and he has proven to be a valued member of the team. It is therefore that I request-"

"Denied." Cassie was taken aback by the interruption.

"But ma'am, his has more than proven himself; it is only right that he-"

"Need I repeat myself Agent Rahna?" The silence that followed was the most uncomfortable silence Knuckles had ever endured. He knew Sally, or at least thought he did. Cassie was fighting for her investigation, and yet was being stone-walled by the one person he believed knew how to be a good leader.

"I understand Knuckles' interest in aiding this investigation, but this is a G.U.N matter, and his place is with the Master Emerald on Angel Island, not here!" Cassie gulped, her throat dry.

"Understood ma'am. I hereby withdraw myself from this investigation." Knuckles stared at Cassie in surprise. Surprise which was reflected in the eyes of Sally Acorn.

"Think about this Rahna! This is your one chance to make something of yourself! If you drop this case, you can forget about becoming an investigative Agent, you'll be back to pushing papers around your desk!"

"No ma'am I understand. But Knuckles is my friend and I'm not about to see him brush aside without a second thought!" She saluted and turned on her heel, marching out of the office and back down the corridor.

"It was nice to see you again Sally." Said Knuckles quickly before giving chase.

Sally leaned back in her chair and stared at the evidence set before her. Running her hand through her hair she realised that she had just gotten rid of the two most experienced people for the job.

She swore under her breath as the door finally clicked closed.

* * *

**Now that's done time for a bit of random trivia.  
****Most of FntS is written while Corrupt TE is bored at banging his head off hard surfaces at work.**

**Anyway, hope you've enjoyed the tale so far.  
****Any ideas or suggestions are grateful. So are reviews...**

**What? Can't a guy shamelessly ask for a pat on the back?  
****Alright I'll get on with the next chapter.**

**Till next time!**

**Corrupt TE**


	10. Artist or Madman

**Another week, another chapter!**

**You all know the drill by now, so read on and enjoy.**

* * *

"Cassie! Cassie wait!" Knuckles finally caught her up at the elevator. "What just happened back there? Why'd you do that?"

Her eyes were red, although not a single tear flowed.

"It's always the same." She said bitterly. "As soon as something seems to be going my way, something or someone comes along to ruin it!"

A soft bell like tone was followed shortly by the opening of the lift doors. Knuckles gently ushered his friend inside and pushed the button for the car park. He looked at her. Her shoulders were sagging, her head bowed, eyes constantly staring at the floor. Her hands were clamped together, her entire stance radiating vulnerability.

"I'm uh... not very good at people problems," He started, rubbing the back of his neck. "But I know someone who is. I'm sue she'll be able to help."

Cassie smiled up at the echidna as the days generic tune played them towards the car parking complex.

* * *

She whimpered in the dark. Cold tears running unheeded down her cheeks, thick blood trickling unseen from many cuts, both shallow and deep. Her torturer had been careful. No tendon or artery had been cut in his slow deliberate carvings of her once unblemished flesh.

Like painting a masterpiece, he deliberated over every slice, every cut, carefully channelling the seeping blood along planned routes, creating intricate patterns only he could see. Licking his forever dry lips, he flexed his wrist and twirled his razor sharp knife lightly between his fingers.

His captive had long ceased her futile struggles against her bonds, and now sat, shivering against the cold as their breath misted between them. He thought of how to continue his vile art as he inspected the intricate swirls and curves of his work. The ugly bullet wound to her shoulder caused him only a minor annoyance. He merely plied his art to draw attention away from the blot on his canvas.

Since his new master had left him with his captive, he hadn't uttered a single word. His silent, penetrating gaze flickering along each line as he carved into her flesh with each stroke of his blade, his forked tongue lashing out, tasting the metallic, dusty air tinged with fear and blood. Not once had he spoken or made a sound. But now as he drew to a close on his masterpiece, something compelled him to speak.

"My old masters used to question my fascination towards art, and the pain and agony that comes with it." His voice was soft, almost wistful, like remembering for a moment long past, a time long forgotten. He looked her hard in the eye and smirked. "I know what you're thinking. Art isn't always dark and full of despair, but that's where you'd be wrong."

He gently pressed the knife point to his chin, walked past his bound captive and leaned against the wall behind her.

"A normal person will look upon a work of art and only see the finished piece. They will not take the time to look closer, to see beyond the top layer of paint, to truly experience what the artist themselves felt as they worked."

"So what! You think you're some kind of artist!" Rouge spat through her teeth, cringing at the stinging wounds covering her body.

Her torturer, Seniva walked slowly by her, running his blade across her right shoulder. She cried out against the searing pain, the knife feeling red hot at it carved its path through her flesh.

"I once dreamed of becoming a great artist it's true. But how do you define an artist?" He squatted down before her, her head tilting up slightly to look her in the eyes. She stared back, salty tears glistening as they ran down her as-of-yet untouched face and fell, stinging as they soaked into her open wounds.

"For starters they aren't psychopaths!" His answering laughter was amplified by the confines of the small room. Even after he had stopped, it took several moments for silence to return.

"Let me give you an example then. Vincent Van Gough. A brilliant artist, a true master at the stroking of a brush. And yet, he cut off his own ear, believing that doing so would stop the voices."

"So do you hear voices too? Or are you just insane!" Rouge said in a condescending tone. The serpent grinned, revealing his long yellow fangs.

"Oh I did, once. Till I found an, outlet."

He pulled off his black shirt, revealing in the dim light, a multitude of scars running at different angles and curves along the entirety of his torso and shoulders. Some were still scabbed over, and there was a red stained bandage wrapped around his left shoulder.

"It began as meaningless self harm, but soon enough I began to relish in the pain. It reminded me that I was still alive. That feeling, that elation which pain brought me, I had to bring to others." He shifted forwards and rested his empty hand on her bare, blood speckled knee. "You're just the latest to experience this sensation of true..."

He trailed off, turning his head to the side, listening to the tinny voice of Dr. Robotnik in his ear piece.

"Hearing the voices again?" Rouge asked with a sneer.

Seniva glared at her with a hiss, before standing upright, retrieving his shirt and marching out of the small metallic chamber, switching off the yellow light, leaving Rouge alone in the darkness.

As soon as his footsteps had faded completely, Rouge began to pull hard at the rope binding her wrists to the arms of the chair. At first they wouldn't budge, but before long the blood which had run down her arms and soaked into the thick, coarse weave provided enough lubricant for her to slip free. Skin ripped away along with the rope, but she had felt worse pain.

She rubbed at her torn wrists, feeling blood trickle through her fingers. She looked down at feet, finding the same rope binding her legs. With her newly freed hands she set about working on the knots.

* * *

They sped through the dusty, wreckage strewn wasteland. Shadow no longer cared if they were spotted, he needed to break something, and until he got his hands on Robotnik, his robots would have to do. What he didn't smash with his own bare hands, he fried with chaos energy or took off the head with a well place shot from his pistol.

Sonic however, was trying his best at not becoming a target for Shadow's incessant rampage. Mainly by keeping as far ahead of him as possible.

Ignoring the explosions and robotic cries for mercy, the blue blur flashed past the swat-bots standing guard over a large hole in the Death Egg's structure. They barely had time to register the hedgehog's passing before the Ultimate Life Form appeared before them, unleashing a powerful crimson wave of chaos energy, obliterating the droids and tore the hole even wider.

Shadow took a moment to regain his breath and slow his heart rate, catching Sonic cowering behind some debris out of the corner of his eye.

"Don't just sit there and tremble Faker! We've got work to do." Sonic risked a peak back at the path Shadow had smashed his way through. The sight sent shivers down his spine. For once, Sonic felt sorry for Dr. Robotnik.

* * *

**Shorter than I hoped, but there it is.**

**I can only say: hope you enjoyed this latest chapter.**

**What will happen to our heroes, or more importantly to Eggman when Shadow gets ahold of him?  
Gonna be messy, thats for sure.**

**Til next time on FntS**

**-Corrupt TE-**


	11. The Search for Survival

**Hello all, Corrupt TE here with another chapter of FntS.  
Not much more to say so enjoy.**

* * *

"Where are we going exactly?" Cassie asked as she drove them out of the multi-story car park in her banged-up Ford Fiesta.

"There's three people that I can think of who might be able to help out." Replied Knuckles. He was trying to figure out how to make the passenger seat move back to give himself more leg room.

"First there's Amy. She's always been a people person, able to bring out the best in others you know? Even if she does have a bit of a temper. Then there's Tikal, who's the smartest woman I know, and probably the kindest. I've known her the longest and she's like a sister to me." Cassie glanced sidelong at the echidna as he continued to fidget in his seat.

"Finally there's Vanilla. Now if she can't help us, no-one can."

"I think I've read a file or two on Amy, but the other two don't ring a bell."

"Well, Vanilla is a single mother who lives with her young daughter and a couple of chao."

"Those things are so cute!" Cassie interrupted. "With their tiny wings and little baby faces."

"I've never seen the attraction with them to be honest." Knuckles admitted with a shrug.

"Well that's because you're a man." Said Cassie curtly. Knuckles was about to retort when his searching fingers found a switch which sent his seat sliding suddenly into the reclining position.

The lavender hedgehog behind the wheel burst out laughing, and it wasn't too long before Knuckles joined in from his laid-back position.

Once they had finished and Knuckles had gotten his seat how he wanted it, he gave her the directions to the house of Amy Rose, the closest of the three living on the outskirts of the city.

* * *

The metal door was sent flying across the room as they blasted in. Stepping through the still smoking doorway, Shadow dusted his hands and glared around. He and Sonic found themselves standing in what used to be one of Dr. Robotnik's many swat-bot assembly rooms, now little more than twisted metal and broken glass.

"Whoa! Talk about clean up on isle seven!" Exclaimed the cobalt hedgehog, kicking the head of a scraped robot across the room. "So uh... Any idea where to find her?"

Shadow looked around at the various exits along the walls. "No idea."

"Oh great! So why don't we just run around until we find something, just like old times?"

"Because this isn't like 'old times'." Shadow walked towards the only door with a dim light coming through it, checking the number of rounds left in his weapon.

"What d'ya mean 'not like old times'? Robuttnik's behind this, a friend has been kidnapped and it's up to us to save the day! What's different?"

"What's different is that Robotnik hasn't issued any threats or demands for the Chaos emeralds, and he's been off the grid for too long."

"So he took a vacation! Doesn't mean he's any more of a pushover than he usually is." Shadow stopped in his tracks and turned to his counterpart.

"Don't underestimate him!" Sonic stepped back in surprise. "He's already captured Rouge, and Chaos knows what he's got cooked up in that demented brain of his!"

"Who cares?" The cobalt hero exclaimed, throwing his arms up for emphasis. "I've lost count how many times we've scrambled that Egghead! This times gonna be no different!"

Shadow grabbed Sonic and pulled the startled hedgehog up close and personal.

"Never, expect things to be simple! Those who do are both foolish, and destined for an early grave!" Sonic tried to pull away, but Shadow's hold was firm.

"Let go Shadow!"

"Not until you swear you will not do anything to put Rouge's, or our own lives in danger!" His voice was a deep growl, his penetrating crimson eyes gleaming with barely contained rage.

"Alright Shadz, you've made your point." Sonic twisted out of Shadow's grip and stepped out of reach. "So what do you propose we do?"

The ebony hedgehog turned away and looked through the nearby doorway, down the long dark corridor to who knows where.

"I'm not sure. This mission isn't as clear cut as all my others." Sonic tapped him on the shoulder as he walked past.

"Then we do as I've always done, make it up as we go along." The teenage hero picked up his pace and ran through the door. Shadow shook his head before giving chase.

* * *

Seniva slid through the door and silently made his way to stand beside his new master.

"You summoned me master." He hissed, not bothering to hide the annoyance in his voice. If Dr. Robotnik was startled by the sudden appearance of the assassin, he didn't show it.

"It is time to prove your usefulness, Seniva." Dr. Robotnik was slouched over a worktable focussing on the intricate wirings of an object hidden behind his bulk. The serpent folded his arms and glared at the back of the human's head.

"What would you have me do?" He hissed. Robotnik leaned back from his work and half turned his head towards the assassin.

"Your chance to succeed where your fellow assassin's have failed has arrived." Robotnik pressed a button on his wrist device which switched on a large cracked viewing screen above their heads.

"It seems Sonic the Hedgehog has decided to pay us a little visit." The fizzing screen showed the blurry image from a security camera. As Seniva watched, two hedgehog's past by, one was unmistakably the same hedgehog which Telak had been hired to kill. The other one was very similar, except for his fur colour and for the red streaks that ran through his quills.

"What of the other one?"

"Shadow has always been an enigma, even to me. But nonetheless he is dangerous. Deal with him as you see fit." Robotnik went back to his work without a second glance at the assassin.

Seniva bowed in silence before leaving his master to his work.

* * *

Rouge stumbled out of her holding cell and wrapped her arms around herself. Through his methods, her torturer had systematically stripped her of her entire outfit and had left it lying in a small pile in to corner of the metallic chamber.

Despite the fact that she was still bleeding from several of her cuts, and the pain of moving was immense, she had managed to pull on her black suit and her white boots with pink hearts adorning the toe, although both were now speckled with the dark crimson of her own blood.

Hissing against the pain racking her body, she slowly headed down the corridor, using the wall as support while her brain tried to figure out how she was going to escape. She had no weapons, was badly injured and was stuck somewhere in the bowels of the Death Egg with little hope of escaping with her life.

She bit back the tears that welled up in the corners of her eyes and pressed onwards. She was certain that her distress call had been heard, and she figured it wouldn't be long until a whole division of G.U.N soldiers and Agents were smashing their way through Robotnik's defences to finally to find her.

"What's the use?" She muttered to herself. She slid slow down the wall and tucked her knees up against her chest, allowing the tears slowly run down her face.

Today was meant to have been different. Today she should have filled out a number of reports and gone to lunch with Knuckles. Chaos only knew what could've happened if her day had gone as she planned.

"Knuckles..."

She remembered all the times she had teased him, flirted with him, and even fought with him over the Master emerald. Every time she saw him she had wanted to ask him if he wanted to go for a drink or even on a date with her. But she had always gotten nervous as soon as she laid eyes on him, and instantly reverted to the protection of her flirtatious personality.

She never though he could share the same feelings for her. That he actually came to see her at G.U.N headquarters...

She struggled back to her feet, renewed passion in her step. If there was one reason to get out of there, it was to see Knuckles again, and take him up on his offer.

She slowly made her way further down the corridor, towards freedom, towards safety, towards Knuckles.

* * *

**Don't worry, the sappiness will end shortly and we can get back to the violence!**

**Saying that, there might not be an update next weekend.  
I'm knee deep in course work and I want to dig myself out before it gets any worse.**

**So, from Corrupt TE this is ciao for now.**


	12. First Strike

**Woo! Not only do I dig myself from under all that coursework, I manage to get another chapter done!  
Either that, or I have no life...**

* * *

The two hedgehogs jogged down another dimly lit corridor, their footsteps pounding away any hopes they had of keeping the element of surprise. The combination of the winding corridors, lack of light and direction, and anything that could remotely be considered resistance left them dumbfounded.

"Okay, I've changed my mind. Eggman's definitely got a new game plan." Sonic slowed his pace, casting his eyes along the walls. "Look at this place! All those busted screens, not a single badnik or swat-bot to send to the scrapheap, what's Ol' Buttnik been up to all this time?"

"Nothing good, that's for certain." Shadow said as he reached into his quills. He pulled out a small device and powered it up.

"Hey, that looks like Sally's old handheld computer! You know, before Nicole's nano-technology gave her a body?" Stated Sonic, looking over Shadow's shoulder.

"Well it should. When Sally joined G.U.N after disbanding the Freedom Fighters, she gave our lab-techs the blueprints for a prototype VI handheld interface for use by our field Agents." Sonic blinked a few times, his face expressionless.

"Pretend I've got no idea what you've just said." Shadow rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Alright. Basically it's a super intelligent computer, much like Nicole but with no personality or self-awareness. With it I should be able to uplink directly to the G.U.N information database." He explained.

"Should?"

"Something in here is blocking the signal, so I can't get through."

"So in other words, it's useless." The cobalt hedgehog crossed his arms behind his head and leant against the wall.

* * *

Nearby, hidden within a broken air duct, a deadly threat waited in silence. Seniva had been able to keep pace with the two hedgehogs through the ventilation system, following the sound of their footsteps and the taste of their body heat. Right now, in the pitch black of his hiding place he could see them, their bodies pulsing orange, red and yellow.

On the hunt he rarely relied on his eyes. By using the sensitive heat sensors on the tip of his tongue he could see his prey in the darkest of places, picking up the residual heat signatures long after his quarry had moved on.

This cold, lifeless metallic corpse was his hunting ground, and he was perfectly adapted to it.

He listened to their inconsequential conversation, almost willing them to move closer, to move within striking range. His hands gripped his knife tightly, his knuckles whitening with the strain.

One step. He tensed.

Two steps. His breath stilled in his lungs.

Three steps. A wicked grin spread across his lips.

* * *

"Will you take this seriously Sonic!" Shadow snapped, earning a grin from the accused hedgehog. "For all we know, Robotnik could be torturing her even as we- Rouge!"

The white bat practically fell into the wall at the end of the corridor, a small light flickering fitfully above her head. She looked up as the two hedgehogs dashed towards her. Her eyesight was beginning to blur, but she saw an all too familiar figure slip out of the darkness behind them. Summoning what was left of her strength she shouted.

"Shadow, behind you!"

The ebony hedgehog spun around in mid-stride, instantly throwing up his arms in defence. It was lucky he did so as a tearing pain flashed across his left forearm. In the same movement, he lashed out with his foot, feeling it connect with something solid.

A grunt told him he had at least winded their attacker, buying Sonic enough time to get to Rouge's side. Shadow followed up his defensive strike with a roundhouse kick. Again he felt his attack make contact and the dark shape slammed into the wall.

Ignoring the pain in his arm, Shadow stomped towards the fallen figure, fist clenched and his face contorted in rage.

Seniva hissed loudly at the ebony and crimson hedgehog, before using his long, strong tail to launch himself with great accuracy back into the vent he had emerged from, and darted away.

"Shit!" Cursed Shadow, sending an ineffective bolt of Chaos energy careening into the ventilation shaft.

"What the hell was that!" Shadow turned and gazed at Sonic, who had managed to get Rouge to her feet, and was keeping her upright as best he could.

"I'm not sure, but whatever it was, it was quick."

"But we're quicker right?" Blurted Sonic, sweat beading upon his forehead and his face pale. Shadow looked over his friend and fellow Agent. It was clear that she wouldn't be able to move on her own with constant support.

"Not with Rouge like this. Besides, whatever it was, it's an ambush predator." He pressed his hand against the cut on his arm. His hand came away wet with blood, but the wound itself had already begun to scab over. One of the many perks of being the Ultimate Life form.

"We need to get Rouge out of here and signal for backup. Stay close, stay alert and watch the shadows." Sonic gulped and nodded.

"Let's go."

Despite the pain flowing consistently through her body, Rouge managed a weak smile. If anyone could save her, it was Shadow.

* * *

They carried on in silence, Shadow staying in the front, eyes pealed for any signs of ambush. More than once he had sent a bolt of energy through a doorway or down a corridor, thinking something was there.

Sonic wasn't much better, jumping at every sound, his eyes scanning fitfully for any signs of movement.

They hadn't had time to properly tend to the multiple wounds Rouge had somehow received, and she was in no fit state to tell them anything.

"Please tell me you've got signal!" Whimpered Sonic for the seventh time. Even though he knew that something was blocking him from contacting the backup which was stationed mere miles away, Shadow kept reaching for the communicator resting in his ear. He looked back over his shoulder at his sagging companion. A moment of silence stretched between them.

"Nothing." They walked on for a while with nothing but the sounds of their footsteps and the occasional groan from Rouge to break the silence.

"Shadow, we've gotta take a look a Rouge. I don't think she's gonna make it!" Shadow growled to himself before turning to Sonic.

"All right, give her here." Shadow gently lifted Rouge bridal style, and examined her face closely. "We need to get out of here and fast!"

"You're not gonna get any argument from me! So why are we still standing around?"

"Because with Rouge this injured, one false move could cause more harm than good!" Shadow snapped back.

"Well standing around s'not doing much good either!" Retorted Sonic. Shadow took a step back.

"I can't fault you there. Alright, lead the way."

"W-what? Why do you want me too lead, you're the one who said you were in charge?" Shadow grinned.

"Maybe so. But in all the time I've known you, no matter where you are, be it huge labyrinths, gigantic airships, sprawling cities, you've always found your way out. By either luck or good judgement, you're the best person to lead us out of here."

"Wow Shadow, you really mean that?" Shadow's grin broadened.

"Although I'll have to go with luck. Sheer dumb luck."

"Hey!"

"Just get moving Faker." Sonic began to jog down the corridor with Shadow easily keeping pace with him.

"You're so gonna pay for that Shadow."

"Oh I'm quaking in my jet shoes." They both sped up their paces until they were darting though the silent metal hulk, slowly but surely making their way towards fresh air and freedom.

* * *

Seniva slithered into position. After his initial confrontation with his targets, he had retreated back to Dr. Robotnik to request assistance. Even now, as he hunkered down in the dark recesses of the torn structure, three heavily armed and armoured killing machines were setting up in various locations preparing to rain death upon anyone to leave the Death Egg.

As the sun behind him slowly began to set beyond the horizon, he did one last look over the setup of his ambush and smiled.

As his recently deceased master had once told him, a well laid ambush was legalised murder, and Seniva was confident that nothing would get past him.

* * *

**Another one down, and I have no idea how many more to come.  
****Seriously.**

**As usual this has been Corrupt TE  
Bringing you violence, blood and sarcasm. Just not necessarily in that order.**

**Have fun.**

**-Corrupt TE-**


	13. Knowledge and Dangerous Things

**Chapter 13 done and done.**

**More character development and I am not overly pleased at how this came out.  
****Would've reworked it but I had no idea what to do insted.**

**Oh well, its done now so sit back and enjoy.**

* * *

"Now that's an eyesore!" Exclaimed Cassie as she slowed her car to a stop. "I mean, who in their right minds would paint their house pink?"

Knuckles looked over at the house in question and grimaced.

"Um, Cassie?"

"This friend of yours, Amy. How does she cope, living near a house like that?" Knuckles rubbed at the back of his neck as they stepped out of the small vehicle.

"That is Amy's home."

Cassie stopped in her tracks, staring at the pink house in front of them. It took a moment for her brain to come up with an appropriate response.

"Is she a vain creature by any chance?" She asked, looking sidelong at her friend.

"What do you mean?"

"Is she obsessed with anything, or anyone?" Knuckles chuckled nervously, earning a questioning glance from the lavender hedgehog.

"Kind of."

"What do you mean, kind of?" The red echidna smiled sheepishly as he knocked the door. It wasn't long before the door swung inwards and they were greeted by a young hedgehog looking to be in her late teens.

Her fur was a bright sakura pink hue and her five quills were cut to the shoulder and held back with a shiny red headband which complimented her emerald green eyes perfectly. Three shorter bang-like quills were left out of her headband and dangled down her forehead, the tips reaching just above her eyes.

She was wearing a red dress with a white boarder trim, cutting off just below the knee. A pair of red thigh-high boots with a white stripe completed her outfit.

She smiled when she saw Knuckles, but that smile faltered slightly when her eyes registered Cassie.

"Knuckles, it's so nice to see you again. But who's your friend?" Her voice was soft and yet surprisingly firm. The smile on her lips was disconcertingly friendly to Cassie, who had long lived in a proverbial 'dog eat dog' world.

"Hey Amy, it's good to see you too. This is Cassie." Said Knuckles.

"Agent Cassie Rahna, Shadow's new partner." Cassie held out her hand awaiting Amy's response.

"I thought Shadow usually worked alone." Amy said thoughtfully, before accepting Cassie's outstretched hand. "It's lovely to meet you."

Knuckles silently thanked Chaos that their meeting went without incident. He could still remember the time she first met Mina Mongoose. How the hammers flew then.

Amy quickly dragged them inside and closed the door.

"Make yourselves at home. Can I offer you anything to eat and drink?"

"A cup of coffee please." Said Cassie, taking a seat on a very soft armchair.

"Could I have some lemonade please?" Asked Knuckles, sinking into the sofa.

"Sure, I'll be back in a minute." As Amy bustled away to the kitchen, Knuckles turned towards Cassie.

"Amy knows quite a bit about Shadow and Sonic, especially Sonic. She's been chasing him for years." He said, keeping his voice low.

"Honestly, I'm not sure what I'm going to ask her." Stated Cassie, matching the tone in Knuckles' voice. The echidna fidgeted slightly before pulling a blue square pillow out from underneath him and tossed it to the side.

"I'm sure you'll think of something." He whispered back. They sat upright as Amy returned with a small tray holding three drinks and a small plate of biscuits, which she put on the table in the middle of the living room. She sat down in the armchair opposite Cassie and retrieved her own drink.

"So what brings you here?" She asked as her guests leaned forwards for their drinks, the echidna grabbing a couple of the biscuits as well.

"Well I um, want to know about Shadow. You know, from the people who know him and not from paperwork or reports." Amy took a sip from her steaming cup.

"The best person to ask is either Rouge or Shadow. But then again, Shadow never talks about himself."

"Agent Rouge is currently away on a top secret mission. She won't be back for a few days." Cassie sipped at her coffee, finding the slightly nutty aftertaste rather pleasant.

"Hmm. Well I've heard from Sonic that he can be really hard to work with. Kinda forthright and speaks his mind. But from what I've seen, he works really well with Rouge and Omega."

"Yeah, I've read a report on that. Team Dark right?" Amy nodded.

"Don't tell me, he's been treating you like you'll just get in his way." Cassie shook her head, quickly swallowing a mouthful of hot beverage.

"I haven't had any problems with him. He's been polite, sort of charming. He's even brought me a coffee during a late night." Amy raised a questioning eyebrow towards Knuckles who nodded his agreement, his mouth too full with chocolate digestive to speak.

"Wow! You must've really done something to impress him." Cassie shook her head again as she drunk another mouthful.

"That's just it, I haven't. All I've done is tried to be polite, treated him with respect and just tried to be friendly."

"He hasn't called you Maria, or muttered it at anytime while looking at you has he?" Amy asked quizzically, her head cocked to one side.

"No he hasn't. Why?" Amy rubbed her chin thoughtfully.

"Knuckles, you're good with cars aren't you?" The echidna practically choked on his forth biscuit at the sudden question. Cassie made a move to help him but needn't have bothered, as he swiftly recovered.

"Course not! That's Tails' domain!" He replied quickly. Amy knew full well that he was pretty much technologically illiterate.

"How about the Emeralds, are they alright?" Knuckles and Cassie shared a bewildered glance at Amy's sudden change of focus.

"Yeah, Tikal's got into the habit of warning me should anything happen to them. Why? What's going on?" Amy's expression suddenly changed to one of exasperation.

"I want some time for a little 'girl talk' with Cassie! Now go away and do something 'manly'!" Cassie was shocked by the sakura hedgehogs' sudden outburst, but Knuckles, being used to this, quickly downed his lemonade, grabbed another biscuit and disappeared back through the front door.

Cassie watched him leave, silently pleading not to be left alone with the temperamental hedgehog. When the door clicked closed, she slowly turned back to face Amy, finding her smiling sweetly back at her.

"Now that he's gone, we can talk a bit more freely." Cassie smiled nervously and gulped down another mouthful of coffee. "You like Shadow don't you."

This time it was Cassie's turn to choke.

"W-w-what!"

"You do like him, don't you?" Amy repeated calmly.

"Well yes I do, but he's my partner. It's against regulations." Cassie blurted out quickly.

"I only asked if you liked him, not if you loved him." Said Amy, a mischievous grin on her lips. Cassie's face turned almost as red as Knuckles' fur, and she buried her face in her hands.

"I can't believe I just said that out loud! Oh Gods! Someone please kill me now..." She moaned, wishing that a hole would open up and swallow her whole.

"How long?" Cassie pulled her hands away from her burning face.

Slowly she began to tell Amy about the first time she ever saw Shadow and how he had influenced her life. Outside, Knuckles lay on the grass, staring up at the wispy white clouds and wondering what Rouge was doing at that moment.

* * *

As they continued to run, the stale, musty air was steadily getting fresher. In Shadow's arms, Rouge was fighting a losing battle to stay awake. She knew that in her state, if she closed her eyes she could very well be closing them forever.

Shadow's fur was sticky with her blood as it continued to slowly seep from the many cuts and lacerations to her flesh. But that didn't matter to him. Nothing mattered except getting her to safety.

They round one last corner and red light from the setting sun washed over them. Too concerned were they at getting the dying bat to safety that the two hedgehogs didn't wait for their eyes to readjust to the light, and burst out from under the shadow of the Death Egg. Neither of them saw the danger they had inadvertently ran into.

They first realised they were under attack when the ground beneath them exploded into fire. Sonic was sent flying forwards, Shadow suffering a similar fate.

As the ebony hedgehog tumbled uncontrollably through the air, Rouge slipped from his arms and landed to the floor with a thud. Shadow slammed to the floor shoulder first, hearing a crack and feeling a sharp pain he rolled to his knees, his hand flying to his shoulder on reflex.

His left arm dangled almost lifeless at his side as he scanned the smoke and dust coated area for any signs of friends or foes. He caught sight of Rouge's unmoving body and he began to stagger towards her. His ears twitched and he ducked into an agonising roll, dodging a giant metallic fist as it hurtled through the space where his head had just been. Flipping back to his feet, he glared at two E-100 series close-combat robots, both red in colour. Clenching both fists as best he could, he crouched at the ready, a low snarl escaping his lips.

Sonic coughed and shook his head against the grogginess he was feeling. Pushing himself to his feet he squinted into the dust clouds, seeing faint outlines of movement. His ears were still ringing from the blast, and that could only mean a rocket drone somewhere. He looked to the sky, and thanked all the powers of Chaos that he saw the small airborne machine. He curled into a ball and span, performing his patented 'spin dash' he launched himself at the armoured death machine, blowing it out of the sky in one single attack.

The blue blur landed with small pieces of debris raining down around him. He could hear Shadow nearby, fighting something. But what he didn't hear was the approach of a far more deadlier foe than mere robots.

* * *

**13. Unlucky for some. Am I one of them, I hope not.**

**Anyway, this last chapter sets up a deadly battle between heroes and villains.  
And Villains have the element of surprise and the home field advantage.**

**I must be going mad, 'cause whats coming next chapter will change our heroes forever.**

**Now excuse me while I curl up in a dark corner and mutter to myself.**

**Oh Gods, the voices!**

**Corrupt TE outta here!**


	14. Legalised Murder

**$(&%^£* chapter..!**

**Sorry for the late posting but I just couldn't get my head around writting this one.  
But enough complaining, it's up now.  
As usual read and enjoy.**

* * *

The two smartly dressed anthro walked with purpose through the white tiled foyer. They past by several bustling groups of both anthro and humans, as they made their way to the front desk. The receptionist, a raccoon who looked to be in her mid-thirties looked up from her computer.

"Welcome to GUN. Have you got an appointment?" The purple hedgehog gazed around the small room, surveying what was happening around him. His accomplice, a light green rabbit leaned forwards.

"I'm here to see my brother. I want to hear what he's done this time." Her eyes were cold and hard, slightly unnerving the receptionist.

"Okay, what's your name please?"

"Andria Metha'as. My brother is Paul Metha'as." The raccoon type the name into the database and scanned through the file which popped up.

"I'm sorry ma'am, but he's not aloud any visitors." Again she flinched back as the rabbit glared at her.

"I knew you'd say something like that, and that's why I brought my lawyer! Mr Acklesfield, if you please." The purple hedgehog stepped up to the desk and pulled a sheet of paper from his briefcase.

"We have here an order from High Judge McCrowly, allowing my client to see her brother whenever she desires." Her hands shaking and her mind reeling, the raccoon receptionist took the signed order form and looked it over. She gulped, her throat suddenly very dry.

"Everything seems to be in order, if you would wait just over there, an Agent will be along shortly to escort you to your brothers holding cell." The lawyer nodded curtly and led the rabbit over to the chairs. The receptionist slumped back in her chair, distinctly relieved that they weren't her problem anymore. She reached for the phone and dialled for the person in charge of the case Paul Metha'as was involved with.

When they had sat down, the purple hedgehog reopened his briefcase and examined the contents.

"Are you sure about this?" He asked the rabbit in a hushed voice. "Brother Menaer has long been a trusted and loyal Talon. He wouldn't betray us."

"It is, unfortunate that this has happened, especially to one such as Menaer. But he must be silenced. You know this, and he knows this." The rabbit's fingers fiddled with the ring on her right middle finger. The hedgehog stared at the simple single diamond gold band, sorrow clouding his every thought.

"I understand, but I can't help but feel that I am the one responsible for-"

"You are!" The rabbit snapped, causing the hedgehog to flinch behind his briefcase. "By your actions we have lost three fellow Talon's! Your obsession with safeguarding the secrecy of our order has jeopardised it! By rights, you should be dead along with them!"

He looked down at his feet in shame, knowing that what she said was the truth. But that did little to stave off the sting of her words.

"But that is not my place to decide. The Grand Talon's will decide what is to be done with you. In the mean time, we do what we can to clean up your mess."

She stood up suddenly, regarding the approaching Agent with contempt. The purple hedgehog closed his briefcase and stood, regret and trepidation slowing his every movement.

* * *

The thick-billed raven observed the explosion through his sniper scope. The huge plume of dust and smoke that was thrown up obscured his telescopic assisted viewpoint. Pulling away from the scope he looked at the dust cloud in the distance with his naked eye.

In a series of swift hand signals, he sent a message back to the waiting force of Agents. The answer came in a roaring of motors and frenzied footsteps as two half-track troop transports, an all-terrain jeep and two dozen armed soldiers charged over the ridge behind him.

The raven and his two fellow snipers were already well ahead of the charging force.

* * *

Shadow ducked under the heavy metal fist and struck back with a reversed roundhouse kick. His eyes stung from the dust, unwanted tears blurred his vision. He had been lucky enough to destroy one if the attack droids with a chaos spear and a lucky head shot as it jumped.

He knew that every moment he wasted battling, was another moment closer to losing Rouge and failing the mission. And he wasn't prepared to fail.

The buzzing in his ear told him that he was still in the radio dead zone, so he couldn't call for backup from the forces the Commander has promised were waiting.

He rolled away from another wild swing, taking a surmountable amount of concentration to ignore the throbbing pain of his left shoulder.

The ebony hedgehog called upon his innate connection to the powers of Chaos and summoned a bright bolt of energy in the palm of his hand. He launched the bolt of energy, manipulating it in mid-flight to detonate in a short electromagnetic pulse. The assault droid began sparking as portions of its programming and memories were fried.

Taking advantage of the malfunctioning droid, Shadow leapt towards it a drove his foot into its chest. As it staggered back, the ebony hedgehog whipped out his personalised hand gun and fired a bullet right between its lifeless red eyes.

Upon hearing the shot, Sonic spun around to face the direction it came from. In a split-second he saw a pair of bright yellow eyes and the flash of steel. His survival instincts kicked in immediately. He dodged to the left a moment too late. As he twisted, the steel blade bit deep into his chest.

Crying out in pain he pulled away, the knife tearing though his flesh, carving through muscle and sinew. Staggering back, the cobalt hero stared down at the bloody gash to his chest. With each heartbeat, hot, thick blood pumped from the ugly wound.

He collapsed to his knees, his breathing coming in short, sharp gasps. He looked up, straight into the pair of bright yellow eyes.

Shadow dashed towards Sonic's cry. He saw a dark silhouette through the settling dust which was clearly not a hedgehog.

Aiming his gun, he squeezed the trigger. A snarl of satisfaction escaped his lips when he saw the figure go down.

As the dust finally settled, clearing the air, he saw a sight which chilled him to the core.

Sonic the Hedgehog, his rival and one of his closest friends knelt in the dust, thick crimson blood coursing down his chest, soaking deep into the ground. His face was pale; the bright gleam in his eyes was gone, his chest barely moving as he struggled to breath.

"Sonic!" Shadow rushed to the side of his beleaguered friend, who looked up, pain written across his face.

"Hey Shadz." He said weakly, a small pained smile on his lips.

"You're gonna be alright. Don't you dare give up on me Faker!" Shadow's voice cracked on uttering the last word as he fought back his sorrow. He was answered with the same weak smile.

A hiss from behind and Shadow turned his head to see the figure he had shot, climb back to its feet and brandish a knife red with blood. The ebony hedgehog grabbed his gun in his left hand and fired at their attacker, grunting in pain as the recoil did little to help his already injured shoulder. The shot went wide of his target.

The serpent charged, flipping its knife to suite a backhanded sweep.

Shadow aimed and squeezed the trigger again.

Click.

His eyes widened in horror. He hadn't kept count of the bullets he had fired! His finger squeezed the trigger again and again on reflex as the assailant got closer.

It was like time slowed down. Each stride the serpent made seemed impossibly slow. Every detail stood out in perfect clarity. The scowl on his face, the glistening sweat on his brow, the globe of blood which fell from the tip of the knife.

Shadow looked past the snake and saw Rouge struggling to her feet, she was shouting something which was lost to the steady pounding of his heartbeat.

Looking down at the hedgehog he held, he saw pain in his eyes, but also a sadness and longing as the cobalt hedgehog stared into the distance.

Shadow looked back up. The snake was closer now, murder flashing in his eyes. Shadow let his weapon fall from his numb fingers. He closed his eyes and awaited death.

A high velocity shot barked loudly, causing Shadow's eyes to snap open.

The serpent was flying sideways through the air, his knife spinning from his hand, the murderous gleam gone from his eyes and visceral blood erupting from the side of his head.

All of a sudden time sped back up. The snake thudded to the floor and twitched feebly in the dirt. The gun shot echoed around him, as well as other sounds, other gunshots and the revs of engines.

A sudden commotion and before he knew it, they were surrounded by GUN soldiers.

An intense feeling of relief flowed over the ebony hedgehog. He sat back as fire teams took charge, medics rushed forward. He stared as they began to care for both Sonic and Rouge.

A hand was placed on his shoulder and he looked up, into the rugged face of Agent Murtis the thick-billed raven. The master sniper smiled down at the top Agent.

Shadow turned his gaze back to the bulbous metallic monstrosity of the Death Egg. Something didn't feel right.

Just then something erupted from the top of the space station.

"Commander, we have missile launch. Repeat, we have missile launch!" Shadow stared at the pillar of flame that rose into the sky.

Whatever it was, it could only mean one thing. Trouble.

* * *

**Blarg... Now that's over I can get back to whatever it is that's wasting my time.  
Oh wait! That's life...**

**No chapter next weekend as I'm trekking over half the country.  
Hope you've enjoyed FntS so far.**

**Corrupt TE, collapsing on a bed and snoring his head off!  
Till next time.**


	15. Clean up

**Chapter 15! Woo!  
Sorry about the lateness but I've been having some trouble updating and publishing!  
But anyway, new chapter!**

* * *

The red echidna opened an eye upon hearing the sound of the door opening behind him. From his relaxed position he watched, as both hedgehogs emerged from the gaudily painted house.

"Thank you Miss Rose, you've given me a lot to think about." Said Cassie as she put on her jacket.

"Call me Amy, and besides it's what I do." Replied the sakura hedgehog, her voice bubbly and light. "I'm actually planning a picnic for when Cream and her mother get back from holiday. You should come."

Knuckles jerked upright.

"Cream and Vanilla are on holiday!" Amy stared at the echidna before nodding her head.

"I think they went to Soleanna to see that festival of the Sun they have. Big thing I hear, with the Princess attending and everything." Knuckles looked away in thought for a moment before rising to his feet.

"How come no-one tells me these things?" He enquired with a half-shrug.

"Sonic was meant to tell you, but it probably slipped his mind." Amy replied with a smile. "Anyway, I'd best let you two Agents get going."

She enveloped a surprised Cassie and a warm, friendly hug and did the same with Knuckles.

"Don't be strangers you hear!" She called after them as they climbed into Cassie's car and began the long drive to Station Square.

Once they were in the car, Cassie turned to the echidna sat in the passenger seat.

"Remind me why we're going to Station Square again?"

"Once we get there, we need to take the train to the Mystic Ruins and from there we've got a bit of a trek to get to Angel Island." Replied Knuckles as he flipped through Cassie's small collection of CD's.

"But isn't Angel Island floating miles above the earth?" She asked sarcastically.

"Usually yeah, but I've got the Master Emerald with me, so no floating." Cassie took a double-take to realise what the echidna had said.

"You've got the Master Emerald with you and you didn't think to tell me!" Knuckles merely shrugged his shoulders.

"Didn't seem important." He answered. He finally chose a CD that looked good and slid it into the car's built in CD player.

Cassie shook her head as the steady beats began to filter through the speakers and turned her focus back to the road.

* * *

The auburn haired squirrel dodged her way past other Agents all rushing this way and that.

Mere minutes earlier, there had been a confirmed missile launch from the Death Egg crash site. She half-jogged towards the elevator specifically meant for direct access to the 'Panic Room', where she was hoping the Commander would have a better use for her skill set. She zipped round a corner, almost colliding with a red faced lizard carrying a clipboard.

"Miss Acorn, I'm glad I ran into you." Puffed the lizard, her words punctuated with deep intakes of breath.

"Ran being the optimum word!" Sally snapped back. "What do you want? I'm kind of busy right now!"

The lizard gulped down her fear and held out the clipboard.

"There are some people downstairs who wish to see one of your suspects of-"

"Yes, fine, whatever!" Sally retorted, snatching the clipboard from the lizards shaking hands and scribbling her signature on the line without as much as a glance at the form itself.

She thrust it back into the lizards' hands and barged past in the direction of the elevator.

* * *

The medics had set up a makeshift first aid camp as they bustled around, cleaning and mending the various wounds the soldiers had suffered in their storming of Dr. Robotnik's Death Egg.

Shadow watched as three did their best to staunch the bleeding of Sonic's chest while keeping him alive long enough for the emergency evacuation helicopter to arrive. He hung his head, averting his eyes from the life struggle his friend was fighting.

He couldn't believe how bad things had gotten so quickly. Everything had been going fairly smoothly to begin with, the Eggman robots had proven little challenge and they experienced little or no resistance as they explored the silent carcass of the space station. Finding Rouge so quickly however had been a stroke of luck. Shadow looked over at the white bat sitting nearby.

A medic, with the help of another Agent was cleaning and stitching the worst of her cuts, while bandaging her in swaths of clinical cloth.

Rouge's face was deathly pale, and her hands were shaking despite the stifling. Her eyes seemed to stare into the distance, as if she was searching for something that just wasn't there.

Shadow quietly cursed himself. This could all have been avoided if he had been quicker and more ruthless in his counterattack on the snake inside the Death Egg. None of this would have happened if his Chaos spear had found its mark.

He flexed his aching shoulder. It had been reset and bandaged tightly, his left arm strapped across his chest in a sling. As he sat there, with Agents and medics rushing back and forth, his mind kept drifting back to the two friends he had left behind so suddenly.

He wondered how they were handling the case he had unceremoniously dumped on them. Knuckles, the socially awkward echidna who he had never really spoken to, had proven himself to be an eager investigator and a reassuring presence. Shadow was slightly surprised that Sheba, the self-titled 'sadistic, stonehearted bitch' had warmed to him so quickly.

Then there was Cassie. Enthusiastic, kind, friendly... She reminded him a little of Maria, but at the same time she was completely different. He rubbed his forehead furiously in the vague hope that it would clear his thoughts.

His ears twitched at the sound of blades chopping through the air. He looked up as a twin bladed GUN helicopter made itself known on the skyline, steadily growing larder and louder as it closed the distance between them.

Standing, he walked across to Rouge who smiled weakly up at him. The large shadowy bags under her eyes were a clear indication of how exhausted she was. The ebony hedgehog held out his hand which she accepted gratefully.

The helicopter had landed and the three medics taking care of Sonic swiftly but gently carried his stretcher and loaded the unmoving cobalt hero into the bowels of the ungainly looking aircraft.

They walked slowly over to the waiting helicopter, Shadow acting as Rouge's support all the way. He silently helped her on board, one of the medics taking over from him as they led her to a seat.

"Agent Shadow!" He turned from the loading ramp to see who had called him. A golden furred cougar was waving him over. Shadow recognised her as Agent Felsi, an expert at infiltration and communications, and one of his fellow top Agents. He took one last look back at his two friends, before stepping away from the loading ramp.

He walked towards the cougar as the helicopter took off behind him, ferrying the worst of the wounded swiftly to the better equip hospital back in Station Square, including Rouge and Sonic.

"Last I heard you were stationed in Downunda!" Shadow shouted over the sound of the rotor blades and the roaring engine as the helicopter ascended into the sky, blowing red sand and dust everywhere.

"We can exchange pleasantries later Agent Shadow. Right now we need to know the extent of Dr. Robotnik's defences inside the Death Egg, before we commit any soldiers to a possible bloodbath!"

"There are no defences! We ran all throughout that desolate wreckage!" The two Agents began walking back towards the entrance. Shadow's eyes drifted over to the black body bag containing the remains of the snake. "At least, he didn't have any electronic defences to worry about."

The cougar looked back at the hedgehog trailing slightly behind her. She had rarely seen the great Shadow, top Agent of GUN and hero of the planet, let alone spoken to him. But now, as she watched his movements, she couldn't see how he had earned those titles. She snorted.

"If you say so." She waved at the waiting soldiers. They charged into the depths of the Robotnik's domain to hunt down and capture the insane human once and for all.

"He won't be there, you know this don't you?" Agent Felsi turned and regarded Shadow with a critical eye.

"And how do you know?" She retorted. Shadow looked to the sky, where the thin wispy trail of the missile was still faintly drifting through the atmosphere.

"That missile was most likely an escape pod and not a warhead." The cougar's eyes followed his gaze. "He wouldn't leave himself without protection or an escape plan; and he would certainly not allow himself to be captured."

"Well we'll just have to see won't we?" Agent Felsi turned her back on the ebony hedgehog and crossed her arms.

The staccato chopping blades of the nearing helicopter grew steadily louder and Shadow slowly walked away towards the makeshift landing pad.

* * *

They stepped onto the wooden platform along with a few backpackers and archaeologists. Cassie's ears kept twitching as Knuckles began humming the same song both loudly and terribly out of tune. She had suffered his infernal humming for the entire train journey, ever since he had heard it played in her car.

"Will you stop that!" She finally snapped as their feet touched the worn dirt path at the bottom of the wooden stairs. The red echidna flinched at her sudden outburst.

"What?"

"If you're gonna butcher a song, at least have the dignity to do it quietly to yourself!" Deject, Knuckles looked down at his feet.

"Sorry Cassie." The lavender hedgehog rubbed away the sleep-dust that had gathered around her eyes during the uneventful journey.

"No Knuckles, I should be the one who's sorry. That was unfair of me." Knuckles looked at her, noticing the subtle hints towards how tired she was.

"You alright? You look tired."

"I feel exhausted! I haven't been this active since the whole Black Arms thing!" Her movements were indeed sluggish. "I've been stuck behind a desk for too long."

She mumbled.

"Who would've thought getting the inside scoop of your partner would be so tiring…"

Knuckles led the way as they headed deeper into the jungle surrounding the Mystic Ruins. They wove along the thin, well-worn paths, over and under fallen vegetation, clambered over piles of rocks and splashed through a shallow river bed, and one time Cassie was almost certain she had seen a bright green frog being chased by an enormous purple cat with a fishing rod.

"Just a bit further." Said Knuckles. He grunted as he pushed the rusted gate. Slowly but surely the gate began to move, until with a great screech of its hinges it swung open. "Trust me, you're gonna love the view, its breath taking."

They rounded a final clump of large boulders, but what they found wasn't what either of them had expected.

"By Chaos…" Breathed the echidna, unable to come up with an appropriate phrase.

"That can't be Angel Island. No way…"

* * *

**Yes another cliff-hanger.  
I don't really like using them but for the next part it's essential.  
If anyone can guess what's happened, I'll happily write their OC into the story. And maybe give them a cookie...**

**All that aside I am knackered and my bed is calling my name.**

**Till next time this has been Corrupt TE.****  
**


	16. Brave New World

**Hello and welcome to the latest of FntS.  
I am your host, Corrupt TE. Please hold all projectiles till I've put on my safety helmet.**

**One thing I like doing in most of my stories, is setting something up in an earlier chapter and returning to it later, after it's developed.  
Often gets people thinking and refering back to earlier instalments.  
One thing I don't like is having plot holes! So if you find any, let me know and I'll fill 'em in.**

**Anyway, enough of me talking.  
Enjoy.**

* * *

They slowly walked along the rickety wooden bridge spanning the gap between the island and the mainland. Knuckles couldn't believe what he was seeing.

Angel Island, the floating shrine to the Master and Chaos Emeralds had changed. It was, for the lack of a better word, bigger.

Somehow the island had grown dramatically in size, a thick jungle sprouting up to cover the majority, large mountains rising up to scrape the skyline. There were buildings standing within the foliage and a towering pyramid at the centre, atop which stood the very shrine which the echidna had protected his whole life long.

As their feet stepped onto the soft grass, the sounds of birdsong and wildlife scuffling through the undergrowth filtered through the sound of crashing waves and howling wind.

"I've seen images of Angel Island and read the file, there's nothing about a jungle…" Cassie said, her voice filled with wonder. "Are you sure this is where you parked it?"

"This is Angel Island, I'm sure of it. But it's… different."

A faint humming sound began buzzing in their ears and Knuckles pulled the shrunken, glowing Master Emerald from his quills. Holding it out in the palm of his hand, the green emerald began to glow brighter, floating into the air before them.

Two bright red balls of light emerged and flitted around the two anthro before finally coming to rest and changing. In the blink of an eye the two balls of light had disappeared, and in there places stood a peach furred echidna in a white and green tribal dress, and a strange bipedal being which looked to be entirely composed of water.

"You probably have some questions." Said the echidna sheepishly.

Cassie, who had no idea what was going on, just stood there dumbfounded. Knuckles however crossed his arms and nodded.

"What's going on Tikal? How did this happen?" He sounded unsure of his question even as he asked it. The echidna woman, Tikal shuffled her feet as the blue water creature took on a stance similar to Knuckles.

"We… I… haven't been completely honest with you." Knuckles dropped his semi-defensive stance.

"What do you mean?" He asked. Cassie looked from one echidna to the other, completely lost as to what was happening.

"You… are not, the last echidna. You never were."

"What?" A great silence descended over the group.

Cassie stared at Knuckles, almost willing him to more or say something else. Finally the red echidna broke the unbearable silence.

"What do you mean I was never the last echidna?" Tikal took a deep breath, as if she was readying herself.

"Long ago, when my father, Pachacamac angered Chaos and brought about the Great Calamity, I was afraid that every last living echidna would be wiped from the face of Mobius! I used my connection to the Master Emerald to not only calm Chaos, but to send the remaining echidna's somewhere safe, where they could rebuild." Knuckles' stance changed little as they listened to her explanation.

"With Chaos sealed inside the Master Emerald, I reached out with the powers of a God and sent Albion to another zone, where they would be safe from this world and have a chance to rebuild. Angel Island, the Chaos and Master Emeralds were all that were left." The young echidna continued.

"This didn't come without a price however. It cost me my life, and if Chaos hadn't seen fit to spare me, I would have joined my ancestors that day."

"But why keep this from me?" Snapped the Guardian, causing both females to jump at his outburst.

"Because we couldn't risk you trying to find a way to bring them back! The world was still in turmoil, and the return of the echidna race would've only pushed it to breaking point!" Replied Tikal, tears beginning to glisten in her eyes.

"But it's safe to bring them back now?"

"I did it for you Knuckles!" Shouted the young girl. Tikal collapsed to her knees and sobbed. Knuckles took a concerned step towards her, but the creature Chaos gurgled threateningly.

Cassie ignored the threat and rushed to the echidna's side. Embracing the young echidna, she began to rock her gently back and forth, making reassuring sounds and whispering that it was alright to cry. The hedgehog glared at Knuckles but continued to comfort the sobbing girl in her arms.

"I'm sorry Tikal." He said finally; regret hanging off his every word. "You're like a sister to me, and it wasn't fair for me to shout at you. I just wish you had told me sooner."

"That's in the past now. And we've got bigger things to worry about." Knuckles looked into Cassie's eyes, seeing the seriousness of her voice reflected in those hazel orbs. "It won't be long before someone notices a new landmass off the coast. Let's at least explore and find out what's here before we do anything else."

Knuckles nodded his head in agreement. Cassie helped Tikal to her feet and the four of them set of, both eager and apprehensive as to what they might find.

* * *

The green furred rabbit sat in the interrogation chamber. His eyes were closed, his breathing steady. His nose had a clip to keep it straight, the metal tray swung by Sheba having broken it in no less than two places. He also had a black eye and a bandage wrapped around the back of his head where it had smacked against the cold, hard floor.

Menaer was waiting for a pair of visitors. Who wanted to see him was anyone's guess, but he couldn't help but wonder why it was taking so long for the investigating Agents to interview him.

At the sound of the door handle, his eyes slid open. He laid his hands, palms down on the simple metal table before him and waited, staring down the gaps between his fingers, running through the unfortunate events which had ended up with him incarcerated. There was a scrape of chairs and the thump of a suitcase being placed on the table, but still he didn't look up.

"You've got fifteen minutes ma'am." Said a faceless voice, before the door closed once more. Silence followed, punctuated by the sound of the suitcase being opened and paper being rustled.

"I'm very disappointed in you Paul." Said a feminine voice he recognised. His body tensed and his heart suddenly sped up. He finally looked up at the two sat opposite, recognising them both immediately. The purple hedgehog, his Talon Master and best friend and the Grand Talon in charge of their sect herself.

'Paul' inclined his head to her, his mind racing through the various contingency plans they had set up. Finally realising which one they were using, he sighed, resigning himself to the role.

"There's nothing to say Andria." He said quietly.

"I'm just glad mother and father aren't around to see how far you've fallen." The pink furred rabbit opposite him twisted her ring around so the small gem was face down. "You've dug yourself a grave Paul."

Menaer's eyes widened slightly at the utterance of those words. He knew exactly what they mean. 'Andria' reached out her hand which he accepted, his heart heavy, knowing what was coming next.

"I'm sorry Paul." Said the purple hedgehog. "I couldn't find any loophole this time."

The green rabbit smiled sadly at his friend.

"At least you tried Mr. Acklesfield. I never could see when I got in too deep." The hedgehog pulled out a pen and piece of paper from his briefcase.

"I just need you to sign on the line Paul, and we'll do what we can." Menaer nodded and signed the paper with his free hand.

Taking back the paper and pen, the hedgehog put them back into the briefcase and sealed it shut. 'Andria' then laid her other hand on top of Menaer's. He felt the slight prick of the needle, but kept any telling emotion from his face.

"Goodbye Paul." Said the pink rabbit, removing her hands from his and standing with a scrape of her chair. She walked around the table and kissed him on his forehead, before heading towards the door. She knocked twice and the Agent outside opened it.

The purple hedgehog also stood, much slower than the rabbit did. He reached across the tale and took his friends hand in his, shaking it firmly.

"Take care of yourself, you hear?" He said, barely able to keep his voice from cracking.

"You too." Replied Menaer. As the two anthro left him alone, the green rabbit looked down at the back of his hand and the barely visible pinprick.

He sighed and called for the guard to take him back to his cell. He knew he only had a few hours to set up a convincing suicide before the poison took effect.

* * *

Shadow tried her phone number again with the same luck as the last three times he had tried. He lowered the phone and looked out of the window at the skyline. It whizzed past as the helicopter powered its way through the air.

He was on his way back to G.U.N headquarters to report directly to the Commander. Something he wasn't looking foreword to at all. What he really wanted to do was sleep. For the first time in a long time he felt exhausted.

But his mind wouldn't stop replaying that moment where he had stared death in the face. It made him realise that life was far too fragile to push everyone away. He had spent his entire life in perpetual misery over the loss of Maria over fifty years ago, dragging everyone he met down into the dark depths of his melancholy.

He was the Ultimate Life-form, created to be the most powerful being in the world, created from alien DNA and fused with the power of Chaos energy. He could do things everyone else could only dream of. He had felt the energy flow of all seven Chaos Emeralds course through his being, granting him the power of ages. He had travelled the world, ran at supersonic speeds and lived a life with few regrets.

But a nagging at the back of his mind kept drawing his thoughts back to that moment, and for some reason, the face of a certain lavender hedgehog soon followed. In his mind she looked concerned, almost fearful, but he couldn't be certain what it meant.

It would take a few more hours for the helicopter to arrive back in Station Square, plenty of time for him to think, and maybe come up with an answer to his many questions.

* * *

**And done.**

**Thanks to all those who tried their hand at guessing what happened to Angel Island, Flora 222 and Silhouette the Daemon-Wolf.  
Angel Island might not be destoryed, and Eggman might still be out of the picture (for now), but Albion is back!  
And with it comes a whole myriad of possibilities.**

**In the words of Rowan Atkinson: Cluck cluck, gibber gibber, my old man's a mushroom!**

**This madman is outta here!  
-Corrupt TE-**


	17. Looking at the Past

**Hey all.  
New chapter and uhh... kind of a slow one, more character and plot development then anything else.**

**Without any further ado, enjoy.**

* * *

Rouge looked over to the gurney and its occupant. Sonic the Hedgehog laid in a state of unconsciousness, a mask covered his nose and mouth as a constant stream of air was pushed into his lungs, and bag of plasma hung from a hook in the helicopters low ceiling, slowly dripping its content down a tube and into the hedgehog's system. His face was deathly pale and the bandages covering his chest were slowly becoming saturated with his blood.

"Haven't we got his blood type on file!" Her large, sensitive ears swivelled as she focused her hearing on the two medics near the hedgehog.

"We should, but it says he refused to give a sample on the grounds that he was afraid of needles! Something about, not wanting to become a 'Needle Mouse', whatever that means."

"They're just gonna have to find out at the hospital aren't they!" Snapped the medic, turning back to Sonic's prone body.

"Ah bollocks! Some of his stitches have come loose!" Rouge's head jerked up.

"Shit! HEY, SPEED IT UP WILL YA!" The medic shouted, banging his fist against the wall. Rouge felt a slight vertigo as the helicopter pilot increased the throttle.

"ETA five minutes!" Came the tinny voice of the pilot over the com-system.

The two medics began unwrapping Sonic's bandages, their hands grabbing swaths of cloth, surgical thread and various other implements from the nearby medical cabinet and set to work.

All Rouge could do was watch their backs and hope that the cobalt hedgehog, who she had grown to know and trust, wouldn't give up. She clenched her hands together and gnawed at her lower lip as the aircraft sped its way into the airspace above Station Square.

* * *

Sally Acorn entered the bustling room. Her eyes scanned the area swiftly, taking in as much as she could in that short moment.

The room was a fair sized oval room, with large computer panels hanging from the walls which were currently flashing with various schematics, satellite images of the unknown missile and the blueprints of the hated Death Egg. The floor space was full of computer desks with Agents, both anthro and human running diagnostics, researching possible outcomes and various scenarios should the worst come to the worst. Some were trying to track the missile and predict its landing zone, while others were calculating how to best respond to this knew and unknown threat.

It was pandemonium. Agents rushed from screen to screen, the sound of all their voices at once was almost deafening. And standing at the very back of the room, staring intently at a still satellite image of the missile, blown up on one of the large screens, was the grey haired human Commander.

Sally weaved her way through the bustling throng of Agents and came to his side.

"Any idea what it is Sir?" The Commander rubbed at the stubble growing on his chin, his eyes narrowed on the thing at the head of the smoke line.

"It is possible that this is the Robotnik's final attempt at resistance before our troops capture him within the Death Egg." He half-turned away from the screen towards the squirrel, his eyes still staring at the screen. "It may also be an escape pod, but without the word from Agents Felsi, Mirtis or Karn, we cannot risk shooting it down!"

"Why not Sir? With all due respect, wouldn't it be best to get rid of Robotnik while we have the chance?" The Commander looked down at his former secretary, a stern look in his eyes.

"You know all too well that we cannot risk that! We can't be sure he hasn't set up a 'dead-mans trigger' system for his machines!" Sally took a step back and averted her eyes.

"You're right Sir, I didn't think of that." She looked back up into his grizzled, age worn face. "What would you have me do Sir?"

The Commander looked from her to the screen.

"Take over here Miss Acorn. Inform me immediately when-"

"Sir, we've pinpointed a landing zone!" A green hedgehog ran up to them carrying a miniature VI consol. She swiftly pressed a number of buttons and the image on the main screen changed to that of a very familiar sight.

"Are you sure?" Asked Sally, her heart suddenly in her throat.

"Yes Ma'am. With extreme deviations aside, all calculations point, there."

The bustling room suddenly went all silent, except for the beeps and clicks of the computer systems. On the screen was a clear picture of where all this had begun. Mobotropolis, the Capital of the Acorn Kingdom.

"We've got to warn them!" Sally exclaimed, panic welling up in her voice.

"I'll speak with the King personally. Miss Acorn, you're in charge here." With that, the Commander turned and marched out of the 'Panic Room', Agents darting out of his way as he went.

"But Sir, I-" The door slid closed before she could say anything else.

Steadily the Agents returned to work and the noise level rose substantially. The green hedgehog looked over at the silent squirrel.

"Hey Sal, it's going to be alright."

"I hope so Megan. Now tell me what we know." Sally shook off her moment of weakness and delved back into her work. She looked at the hedgehog.

Agent Megan was a carefree 18 year old who had been taken on as a part-time Agent, much like Rouge and Shadow thanks to the influence of her sister, Agent Dalila. Sally liked her, as her sassy, outgoing attitude reminded her of Sonic, before he had left the Freedom Fighters and became a wandering hero.

She never wore her G.U.N uniform, much to the annoyance of others, opting for the much more casual look of a white, single strapped cami, a pair of faded blue jeans with rips on the knees and a pair of red flip-flops, which somehow always managed to remain on her feet.

Megan grinned as she began to recount what they knew and what the gathered Agents were trying to find out. As she spoke, Sally turned her attention back to the image of her childhood home, anxiety bubbling within her.

* * *

They slowly made their way to the top of a small rocky outcropping in order to see what had changed more clearly. Knuckles led the way, his spurs gouging out hand and foot holds for those climbing behind him. Cassie followed behind him, although she wasn't entirely sure if she should even still be there. Below her were two flitting orbs of red light, slowly ascending under their own power.

'_Lucky, bloody spirits with their floating orby thingies!'_ She growled in her head. She neared the top and Knuckles reached down a hand and hauled her up the rest of the way.

"Honestly, I'm not exactly dressed for this sort of thing!" She complained, dusting herself off. Looking up she gazed out at the horizon. "Well, that's something you don't see every day."

Looming out of the tree canopy on the left was a large obsidian fortress with grand spires reaching towards the sky, surrounded by vast amounts of what looked like alien technology. On the right was a different sight entirely. A huge peninsular of rocky pyramids reminiscent of the echidna ruins within deep within the Mystic Ruins, even at this distance she could make out the spiralling serpents carved into the sides, and the grand statues of echidna warriors, seemingly untouched by time, and at the very summit was the shrine of the Master Emerald.

Cassie looked over at her echidna companion, looking for his reaction. Knuckles' mouth was hanging slightly open, his eyes focussed, flickering from one view to the other.

The two orbs flitted around the stoic echidna before transforming back into their physical forms. Tikal rested a hand against the Guardian's shoulder, following his gaze.

"It's hardly changed at all." She said softly, a slight quiver in her voice. They all stood in silence, taking it all in for several minutes.

"Not meaning to interrupt this, rather emotional time, but I can see this doesn't concern me." Both echidna's were startled and looked over to the hedgehog.

"Oh I'm so sorry; you must have come for a reason." Said Tikal hurriedly. Knuckles turned his attention back to the two monuments on the horizon, a thousand questions speeding through his head.

"I think you're gonna have your hands full with him, so I'll just head out." Cassie replied, jerking her head in the direction they had come. "Although you wouldn't have a quicker way to get to Station Square would you?"

Tikal smiled and nodded. "Chaos, if you could be so kind?"

The blue creature stepped forwards and grabbed one of Cassie's arms.

"Hey! What are yo-" They vanished in a flash of light.

* * *

"-u doing!" She yanked her arm from Chaos' grasp and glared at the creature. In bowed its head silently before disappearing in a flash of light.

Cassie blinked a number of times before realising that she wasn't where she had been a moment ago. Spinning around, she swiftly took stock of where she was, Station Square.

"How the hell?" Just then her pocket began vibrating. Reaching in, she pulled out her phone. Looking at the screen she saw that she had five missed called, one from G.U.N and four from Shadow. Pressing the redial she placed the phone to her ear.

The phone in his hand started ringing. At first the ebony hedgehog simply stared at the small device, until his mind registered the caller Id. He pressed the answer button and raised the small black mobile to his ear.

"Cassie?"

"Hey Shadow. Sorry I didn't get your calls, the reception was terrible. What's up?" The lavender hedgehog asked, sitting down on a nearby bench.

"Um… hard too say." Cassie sat forward, listening intently.

"What do you mean Shadow?"

Shadow leaned back against the side of the helicopter, his head thumping against the metal. "I need someone to talk to."

"Well we're talking aren't we?" Shadow smiled.

"I mean in person. Could you meet me at Headquarters?"

Cassie twirled a finger through her hair. "Yeah, sure Shadow. You sure you're alright?"

"Honestly…? I don't know."

Shadow rubbed his face with the back of his hand. "I've been thinking. Thinking a lot, and…"

"It's alright Shadow. I'm getting the feeling you'd rather not talk over the phone. I'll meet you in your office, how about that?"

"Yeah, okay."

The streetlights nearby began to flicker to life.

"Don't go all morbid on me Shadz." She joked, hearing an amused snort on the other end. "I'll see you soon."

"Yeah… Yeah you will." His thumb pressed to hang-up and he looked out of the nearby window. A small smile eked itself onto his lips.

Cassie looked down at her phone for a moment before pocketing it. She sat there in thought for a moment, listening to the sounds of the city all around her, thinking hard on what Shadow might have to say to her.

* * *

**I really wasn't sure how to portray a phone conversation so...  
Ah who really cares.**

**Credit goes to flora222 for Megan and Dalila. Thanks Flo.**

**Anyway, all the characters are facing rapid change in their lives, as am I in real life.  
That said, there might not be an update next week.**

**Hope you all enjoy.  
-Corrupt TE-**


	18. Into the Unknown

**Woo! I managed to get another chapter done!  
Only goes to show, I have no life!**

**Anyway, I've beetled down the country and am visiting family for the Easter Hols.  
That said, I might be able to give you two updates next week!  
Fingers crossed...**

**Anyway, enough of me jibber-jabbing.  
On with the Chapter!**

* * *

He wanders slowly through the new thick jungle growth. The sounds and smells that assault his senses are both new and strangely familiar. Running a hand over the trunk of a nearby tree, he looks over the path he had forged.

Chaos and Tikal had both returned to the confines of the Master Emerald, stating that it was best he find things out on his own. Questions burnt through his mind, questions which he needed answered. He was heading in the direction of the large stone ziggurat, as for some reason he was more drawn towards that then the black obsidian fortress.

At the snap of dry wood, the young Guardian spun into a crouch. Growling quietly he slowly turned, eyes scanning deep into the jungle thicket. All was silent. The twin moons of Mobius were shining crescents in the sky and the only sounds that could be heard was she soft rustling of leaves on the breeze.

Suddenly, there was a clap of air rushing into a single spot, and in a flash of light he was surrounded by three armoured warriors. Their armour was jet black and scaled, and concealed any indication as to whom or what they were. Two had blue glowing symbols engraved into their helmets, with the same blue glow emanating from their eyes. They were wielding strange curved, yet wickedly sharp looking blades. The other, wearing a slight variation of the same armour, had a different symbol glowing on their forehead, this one pink in colour. They lacked the blade and instead wore a pair of bracelets with a ring of the same pink glow etched around them.

A rush of footsteps and more appeared from behind trees and undergrowth, all wearing similar armour and armed with silvery black energy rifles.

"You are trespassing in Nocturnus territory!" Said the one with the pink symbol in a clearly feminine voice. "What is your name and business here? Speak quickly!"

With a flex of the wrist, a pair of purple energy blades appeared from her bracelets. Knuckles clenched his fists and a growled rumbled from his throat.

"*Knuckles don't fight! They're too many!*" Cried Tikal's voice in his head. Reluctantly, he unclenched his fists and stood tall.

"Give me your name, and I'll give you mine." He growled. The leader laughed.

"That's not how things work here." The energy dissipated from her bracelets and she motioned to two of the others. "Take him to the Procurator."

"Yes High Praetorian." They said in unison. Sheathing their blades they each grabbed one of Knuckles' arms and began leading him back through the jungle.

"Maybe she'll get something useful out of him."

The Guardian didn't struggle as he was lead slowly towards the obsidian fortress. The Nocturnus clan was alive! The clan which history dictated began the war which led to the release of Perfect Chaos and cause the Great Calamity. He looked up at the technological monstrosity, questions flying through his mind. Mainly, how he was going to get out of this.

* * *

His footsteps echoed loudly as the brown coyote rushed down the marble hall. He pushed his way through the thick set of doors, the two armed guards just inside snapped off a quick salute as he past. He half-jogged up the red carpet and dropped to his knee, bowing his head.

"Antoine, how many times must I tell you? You do not need to bow to me my friend." Antoine D'Coolette looked up at the young man who addressed him.

The young squirrel stepped down the small flight of stairs, his red cape hanging regally from his shoulders. The clink of his metallic boots were softened by the red velvet carpet underfoot, his royal blue shirt was embroidered with gold, his gold gilded belt glinting in the light of the electric lamps.

"King Elias, I have news." The young King's smile faltered. "The Commander of G.U.N wishes to speak with you."

The coyote's French accent was still there, but it had diluted over the years. He still wore the same army uniform he had worn during his time with the Underground, but now it was decorated with several medals of bravery and the 'Acorn's Trust', the highest military honour which could be given.

King Elias Acorn rubbed at the slight stubble growing on his chin, his eyes narrowed in thought.

"It's not often G.U.N gets in contact with us." He mused to himself.

"He said it was in the utmost urgency Sire." King Elias nodded. He didn't like having to deal with G.U.N, but since his sister had reached a prominent position within the organisation, he was willing to see what they wanted.

"Very well. Nicole!"

A moment later a side door opened and in walked a brown furred lynx with short black hair braided into two ponytails, a flowing purple robe and curves in all the right places.

"Yes your Majesty?" Her silky voice still had a slight tinge of the electronic synthesiser, but apart from that, no-one would have guessed that this lynx used to be the Artificial Intelligence programme from Sally Acorn's old handheld computer.

"Patch the G.U.N Commander through to the throne room." The King of Mobotropolis returned to his throne and sat down. A moment later, Nicole had created a thin screen from her countless nanorobots and the face of the grey haired Commander appeared before them.

"King Acorn, there is a pressing and dire matter I must bring to your attention." The Commander sat behind his desk with his hands clenched, a serious look in his eyes.

"What is this pressing matter Commander? I have important business to attend to." King Elias made no attempt to hide the contempt in his voice.

"During a recon mission, one of our Agents found the location of Dr. Robotnik." Elias sat upright, suddenly extremely attentive to what the human had to say. "Needless to say, we launched an immediate operation to capture him. The operation is still ongoing; however we have reason to believe that the safety of your Kingdom and its people is threatened."

The screen flickered to show the latest satellite image of the missile launched from the Death Egg, and its predicted destination. Several intakes of breath sounded from the guards and various servants around the throne room, and King Elias' eyes widened in horror.

"All our attempts at deactivating or intercepting this missile have so far failed. I must therefore urge you to ready yourself and your people should the worst come to the worst." King Elias turned to Nicole, whose eyes were flickering as she analysed all the information being downloaded.

"Nicole, what do you think?"

"Mobotropolis is indeed the destination of the projectile; however I am unable to get a true reading of it or its payload."

"Neither could we." Cut in the Commander. "There seems to be some sort of shielding around the missile blocking even our most intricate and advanced scanning mechanisms."

King Elias rubbed her forehead. "Sound the alarm, and send everyone to the bunkers."

He pointed to the lynx. "Nicole, help G.U.N and continue your attempts at getting through to that thing! Antoine, rally our forces and make sure everyone gets to the bunkers safely. Drag them if you have to!"

"I want to assure you your Majesty that we have our best working on this problem. Your own sister is leading the attempts at bringing this threat to heel." King Elias Acorn nodded his thanks to the human Commander.

"Thank you Commander. I truly hope we can avert this crisis and speak again on more civil terms."

The Commander, along with the screen vanished leaving King Elias to contemplate the human's words as the throne room was filled with a semi-panic bustle.

* * *

Cassie Rahna stepped out of the elevator and walked towards Shadow's office. Despite the lateness of the hour, she was surprised to find dozens of Agents rushing from office to office. She overheard something about a missile launch but didn't pay attention as she neared the office door. Taking a deep breath she entered, closing the door behind her.

Shadow had his back to her and was staring out of the window. She saw the sling around his left arm and the weariness he held himself with.

"Shadow?" She said softly, circling around his desk to stand by his side. She looked at his face; his eyes were staring down at the streets below. He looked tired, his eyes were lidded, his lips downturned and his ears drooping.

"Shadow?" Cassie laid a hand gently to his shoulder. At first he didn't move, but slowly he turned his head to face her. His eyes met hers and a glimmer of recognition flashed through them. A ghost of a smile graced his lips.

"Hey Cassie." The sadness in his voice was almost enough to break her heart.

"What happened Shadow?" He turned and looked out of the window again. A silence grew between them, with Shadow occasionally opening his mouth to speak, but closing it again every time, without uttering a single word.

Cassie decided to remain silent and let him tell her in his own time, once he had found what to say. Eventually the ebony hedgehog found his words and returned his gaze unto her.

"I've been thinking about what I've done with my life, and I've realised something." Cassie's heart began to beat slightly faster and a fluttering feeling assaulted her stomach. "For years I have dwelt on the past, let my anger and loneliness drive me forward and push others away."

He looked out at the sky. "I'm quite certain that if it wasn't for certain events or the efforts of… someone…"

He looked deep into her eyes and continued, his voice barely a whisper. "I'd still be angry and… lonely."

Another silence stretched on into the evening as both anthro digested what had just been said. Cassie's hand, which had been resting on Shadow's shoulder slowly slid down his arm. When her fingers touched his gloved hand, Shadow's eyes darted down to see what she was doing.

Cassie half-expected his to flinch away, but with a small smile, Shadow took her hand gently in his. Just then the moment was broken by the door opening.

Cassie quickly stepped back, a red hue blooming on her muzzle. Shadow turned to whoever had walked in unannounced and glared.

"Agent Shadow Sir! The Commander wants to see you in his office, immediately!"

The Agent left as quickly as he had come, leaving the two anthro standing in an awkward silence. Cassie rubbed her arm as Shadow ran his hand through his quills.

"Well, I'd better go see what he wants." He headed towards the door but stopped abruptly when Cassie appeared at his side.

"I'm coming with you." The look on her face convinced the ebony hedgehog that he wouldn't be able to talk her out of it. He nodded and they both left.

They walked in silence until they were stood outside the Commanders office. Sally wasn't there, leaving the secretary's desk empty. Shadow faced Cassie.

"Could you wait here?" He asked hesitantly.

"Sure." She replied.

Taking a breath to prepare himself, Shadow opened the door and strode in. The door swung closed behind him and Cassie was left alone.

* * *

**Three plotlines at once, I must be mental...**

**Still, most of what I write is planned out at least two weeks in advance, so the only person I can blame is myself...  
Kinda redundant really...**

**Got a few more things in store for our heroes, but we're just gonna have to wait and see.**

**Till next time**

**-Corrupt TE-**


	19. Not what it Seems

**Ok, first off: WOO! Mid-week update!**

**Secondly: We have the pleasure to meet some of the characters who will be very influencial in coming chapters.**

**That said I think I'd better reiterate: I do NOT own anything to do with Sonic!  
And all credit for OC's go to their respective creators.**

**On with the chapter!**

* * *

Neon lights shone from every wall, areas of the floor were covered with intricate markings and mosaics, from the ceiling hung banners of dark green with a boarder of gold, in the centre was a crimson or with a thin line of gold winding around it like a serpent. Knuckles scanned everything as he passed; taking in as much as he was able to, but more importantly he was picking out landmarks to help guide him should he need to make a swift escape.

Wherever he looked, black cloaked echidna's stared back from the gloom, some wore hoods over their heads and sinister crimson masks over their faces. These echidna's carried the same slender metal weapons as those who had ambushed the Guardian. There were also several wearing the intricate armour that the Knuckles' escorts wore, but these warriors seemed to be few in number and used to guard various areas.

Despite the open hostility being shown towards him, Knuckles also thought he could see a certain curiosity from those who watched. His eyes fixed on the High Praetorian marching in front of him. The two blade wielding warriors marched behind, prompting the red echidna to expect a blade between his shoulders at any second.

"Who are you?" Knuckles asked a harsh, biting tone in his voice.

"I am High Praetorian Shade of the Nocturn." The armoured female snapped back.

"Care to tell me where you're taking me?" He asked, his voice echoing loudly in the near-silent obsidian passageway.

"You are being taken to the Procurator. She'll no doubt have questions for you."

"Who is this Procurator, and what does she want to know?"

"The Procurator is the high commander of the Nocturnus military, it is her duty to decide what happens to… interesting intruders." She glanced back at Knuckles before gesturing at two other guards, who saluted and opened a set of double doors.

Knuckles had raised an eyebrow at the words 'interesting intruders', wondering what was meant by that, but when he entered the room beyond the door, his eyes widened.

Large woven banners graced the walls, several clearly showing the colours and heraldry of different clans, family names and battalions. A deep crimson carpet led its way from the door up to a floating dais of technological wonder, upon which were several computer screen flashing through images of the fortress and the surrounding jungle. A single echidna stood upon the techno-magical platform with their back turned to the new arrival, but they were flanked by a pair of robotic guardians.

Brown humanoid robots with glowing blue eyes and emotionless faces. Incredibly strong, with a photographic memory system that allows them to flawlessly copy the moves of their opponents: the Gizoid.

Knuckles was driven heavily to his knees as Shade and the other two Nocturnus soldiers bowed down before the dais.

"Procurator Lien-Da, I have brought the intruder."

The echidna turned towards them. She wore a tight pair of black leather trousers held up with a black leather belt from which hung a carefully wrapped bullwhip, silver-tipped metallic boots with a small red heart on the toe, and a tight black leather long sleeved crop-top, revealing her supple, flat stomach. Down the right sleeve of her top wound a silver embroidered serpent and her short cut red hair hung just above her blue eyes. Six of her seven long quills were braided with black ribbon, but it was the seventh which stood out against the rest, as it had been replaced by a cybernetic dreadlock.

She looked down at the four figures knelt before her in an analytical manner, focusing intently on Knuckles as he was the only one not to avert his eyes. She jumped down from the hovering platform, landing lightly and striding towards them. She circled around the Guardian like a vulture over a sun cooked corpse.

"I half-expected a foolish child, not a grown warrior. You do realise that your trespassing has violated the treaty between our clans?" Her voice was soft and yet commanding, her words perfectly articulated.

"Violating a treaty? What are you talking about?" She turned suddenly, glaring down at Knuckles for his outcry.

"Not only are you stupid, but insolent as well!" Knuckles noticed Shade cringe at Lien-Da's words, but he stay stoic.

"I'm neither! But to call someone stupid when they don't know what you're talking about is just pure ignorance!" The Procurator took a step back, her hand going for the grip of her bullwhip. She drew back her arm but stopped when the High Praetorian stood up.

"Procurator wait! He did not come from Echidnaopolis!" Lien-Da stopped in her motion and glared at the armoured warrior before turning that same glare onto Knuckles. She snorted and lowered her arm.

"Shade, take the intruder to the dungeon and inform the Imperator." She turned back and leapt back onto the floating dais in a feat of acrobatics.

"Yes Procurator." Shade bowed and grabbed Knuckles by the arm as she left, the pair of warriors quickly following suite. She waved them away as the double doors swung closed.

"What's going on?" The confused Guardian demanded.

"If you want to stay alive long enough to find out, keep your mouth shut!" The High Praetorian warned. She pulled him into a side chamber and pressed her fingers to the glowing symbol on her helmet. With a hiss the metal slid away, folding in on itself and forming a black headband.

Her fur was orange with a lighter cream hue rimmed around her eyes and on the tips of her seven short dreadlock quills, her eyes were a breathtaking deep lilac. She looked at him sternly.

"Now, you're going to tell me who you are and where you came from."

* * *

"Estimated collision time, in three minutes and forty-five seconds." Said Nicole as she attempted to get both a clearer image and a more intricate scan of the incoming projectile.

"This ain't lookin' good ya'll!" Cried the partially roboticized rabbit in her thick Southern accent. "It just keeps shrugging off our hacking attempts like a buffalo does with flies! We can't stop it!"

"Ready the anti-air defences!" Barked King Elias. Nicole's holographic images appeared next to him.

"Sire, destroying the projectile could very well detonate it, and at this close proximity there is an eighty-three percent chance of considerable collateral damage to Mobotropolis." The squirrel turned on the computer generated lynx.

"So what would you suggest Nicole? All the people have been evacuated to the bunkers and we are in the most secure location in the entire Kingdom! I'd rather have a damaged city than a smoking crater!" He turned his icy glare on the three ex-Freedom Fighters, the Coyote Antoine D'Coolette, the half-roboticized rabbit Bunnie Rabbot, and the purple skinned mechanical genius Rotor Walrus.

"Bring the anti-air batteries online!" Elias ordered, his voice growling through gritted teeth.

* * *

Outside, with a grinding of gears and a creak of metal, three sets of air-to-air missile launchers and heavy flak cannons rose out of their underground bunkers and aimed their deadly payload towards the night sky.

* * *

Back down in the depths of the earth beneath the castle, King Elias Acorn turned his attention to a small screen, through which he was linked to the Panic Room of G.U.N headquarters.

"Sally, please tell me you've had better luck your end!" The image of Sally Acorn looked at her brother, desperation in her eyes.

"We've got two high speed interceptor aircraft on their way, but they won't arrive in Mobotropolis airspace for another three minutes!"

"That's three minutes we don't have Sal!"

"I'm doing all I can Elias!" The auburn squirrel shouted, tears glistening at the corner of her eyes.

"Target now in range!" Rotor called from his station.

"Don't worry Sally, we've got this. Open fire!"

* * *

The night sky was suddenly lit with tracer rounds and the flare of rockets as the anti-air weapons opened up with all their fury.

It was a well known fact that the defence weaponry of the Mobotropolis military was some of the best in the world. Dr. Robotnik's countless attempts at attacking the seat of the Acorn throne were thwarted time and again by their early warning systems and sophisticated defence programmes. But out of all who watched as the anti-air fire neared its target, none could have expected what happened next.

With a flare of engines and the sparking of laser fire, the missile dodged the flak fire and destroyed many of the missiles as it wove through the deadly barrage.

* * *

Both siblings from their command posts stared in open-mouthed disbelief as the Mobotropolis defences were rendered ineffective and the projectile continued its indomitable assault.

"Miss Acorn!" The voice of Megan snapped the former leader of the Freedom Fighters out of her stupor. Sally looked over at the green hedgehog who held a phone in her hand. "Word from Agent Felsi. It's not a missile!"

Sally turned back to her brother on the small screen, just in time to see the screen flicker and cut out, the words 'Signal Lost' flashing in place of Elias's face.

"Elias!"

* * *

Back in the underground bunker, the squirrel King coughed as he slowly staggered back to his feet. The red emergency backup lights were flashing on and off. The room had been shaken and various screen and machines had crashed to the floor, but apart from that there was no damage.

"Nicole report!" He shouted, as the other three clambered back to their feet. No answer. "Nicole!"

"-ckup power at sixt- percent and falling." Came the voice of the high-tech AI. "Secruit- meras down in sections two through six. Main and backu- erators heavily damaged. Preparing emergency AI download to portable containment device."

"Damn it!" Elias shouted, bringing his fists down on the monitor in front of him. He pointed at Rotor. "Get Nicole and head to the nearest generator, get me power back! Bunny, Antoine, come with me! I want to find out what the hell that fat bastard is up to!"

* * *

The flickering red light illuminated the hard metal cylindrical chassis of the projectile. A hiss of pressure release, and a loud clang echoed through the silent underground passageway.

Stepping out from the bowels of the converted weapon, Dr. Ivo Robotnik cast his eyes down the corridor. A wide and sinister grin grew on his round face and he strode down the passageway, following the insignificant yet distinctive markings he had scratched into the walls long ago, when he had still been the Head of Security under the rule of King Maximillian Acorn, before his betrayal and subsequent war against the World.

Reaching a dead-end he paused and rubbed his chin before pushing three different areas of the wall. It gave way with a rumble, revealing a long hidden metal stairwell which led to Robotnik's hidden laboratory, where the very first of his sinister robots had been created.

As he walked down the stairs, the stone wall rumbled back into place, leaving behind no evidence of the secret passage, except for the slight disturbance of dust which floated down from the ceiling.

* * *

**Now before you review asking 'what in the world is going on!' This has long been planned out in this crazy little head of mine.**

**Those who noticed, I've fused together the Archie comics Dark Legion and the Nocturnus Clan into one large tribe.  
Again I've had this planned for quite some time. Besides, the Nocturnus do seem to be heavily influenced by the Dark Legion.**

**As for what Eggman is up to? You're just gonna have to wait and see.**

**And I am outta here!**

**-Corrupt TE-**


	20. A Change

**Extra long chapter 20!  
Boy did this take a while!**

**I mean juggling house guests, child-minding, work and this in one go was mental!  
But hey, got it done didn't I.**

**Anyway, lets get this show on the road!**

* * *

Shadow stood before his Commander, his nerves trembling inside as he could only guess what the greying human had to say.

The Commander finally looked up from his work after the ebony hedgehog had been standing there in silence for a couple of minutes. There was disappointment reflected in his eyes, but a stern expression fixed on his face.

"What went wrong Agent Shadow?" His voice cut through the silence like a knife. "Your mission was a simple snatch and grab rescue, but you ended up sending the rat scurrying from its den! Dr. Robotnik has escaped, and we are still no closer to finding out what that madman has been doing over these past few years!"

"There is no doubt that with thorough sweeps of the Death Egg we may find some clues. But this was meant to be a mission relying on stealth, not a gun-hoe attitude or a disregard of basic safety protocols!"

The Commanders voice had been gradually rising in volume until he practically bellowed the last sentence. Shadow had taken a step back, for the first time finding his human Commander intimidating.

"You are not the only Agent of G.U.N Shadow! It is not your place to wage a one-man war against the likes of Robotnik!" The Commanders face was red with rage.

"With all due respects Sir, I've had more experience dealing with the Dr. than any other Agent!" Shadow shouted, finally finding his voice. "He's my responsibility!"

"He isn't anymore Shadow!" Shadow took another step back, once again speechless. "That mission was a near disaster! Sonic the Hedgehog may never fully recover and Agent Rouge will always carry those scars! The missile launched from the Death Egg was targeted at Mobotropolis, and I have just had a report that all communications between here and there have been severed, so we have no idea whether to launch a rescue or a cleanup operation!"

The Commander lurched out of his seat. "Your failure today has created unknown repercussions across the globe! You are even lucky to be alive, and you have the audacity to march into my office and make demands about responsibility!"

The human's hands were shacking as he slowly lowered himself back into his seat. "Were you any other Agent, I would take away your badge and throw you out on the street! However, I cannot afford to lose you. I have therefore decided to place you in charge criminal investigations, heading the homicide department."

"But I'm your top Agent!" Exclaimed Shadow, his eyes wide and with a slight hint of panic in his voice.

"Not anymore Shadow!" The Commander growled. "I believe you still have a case to solve. Now get out of my sight!"

Defeated and dejected, Shadow turned on his heel and walked slowly out of the office. He past Cassie without a word, not even hearing her questions. He slowly made his way towards the elevator.

Several paces from his destination, the once proud hedgehog slumped against the wall and slowly slid down to sit on the floor.

He buried his head in his hands. He couldn't believe what had happened, what was happening. His world was falling apart before his very eyes. He had done everything he could have done but it still wasn't enough.

Two of his closest friends had almost been killed because of him. The mere thought of which brought back a sudden rush of his earliest memories, of her, of Maria.

Rage over her death surged through him, an anger he had not felt since the Black Doom Invasion. His anger and sorrow mingled together as salty warm tears began o form in his tightly clenched eyes.

Suddenly a warm, comforting feeling enveloped him, sending his dark memories spiralling back into the recesses of his mind. Dimly he became aware of another heartbeat close to his. So close, so reassuring.

He was being held gently, his head close to someone's chest as he was slowly rocked back and forth. He let his hands fall from his face and stole a glance at who took such pity on him. It was Cassie.

Normally, Shadow would have shrugged his comforter away, but this time something stopped him. Her eyes were closed as she held him closely, humming a soft tune. Shadow shifted slightly to relieve the building ache in his legs, and she opened her eyes to look down upon him.

They stayed this way for what felt like hours. The corridor to the Commander's office was rarely traversed by anyone not of high rank, and so there were no others to witness the moments that passed between the two hedgehogs.

After a while Shadow made a move to get up and Cassie lent him a hand. He looked into her eyes. A small sympathetic smile appeared on her lips.

"Who am I Cassie?" He asked. A frown appeared on her face.

"Now what sort of question is that!" Shadow's eyes widened in surprise. "You're Shadow the Hedgehog! You're a Hero, an adventurer, G.U.N Agent and saviour of the world!"

"Some hero I turned out to be." The ebony hedgehog scoffed. "I almost get two friends killed; I lose a sadistic madman and almost fail my mission!"

He looked her sternly in the eye. "Why do you care anyway? It's not like I've done anything to earn your trust or friendship, so why are you trying so hard?"

Cassie grinned. "Let's just say, you caught my interest when you saved my life."

Shadow did a double-take as his ears registered what she had just said.

"When did I- what do you- huh?" She giggled softly.

"You remember the Black Doom invasion?" He nodded slowly, wandering what she was getting at. "You remember the highway running out of Westopolis, where the Black Arms were pretty much annihilating the G.U.N forces?"

"Yeah…"

"Well, um… I was one of the soldiers tasked to hold that lethal highway. You saved my life Shadow."

Memories of the Black Doom Invasion flooded Shadow's mind. He remembered the temptation he felt upon hearing the words Black Doom had spoken regarding his past and the future. He remembered how close he had come to believing the tyrannical being and how near he had come to destroying the planet Shadow had sworn to protect. He remembered a small group of G.U.N soldiers being overwhelmed, and how he had slaughtered the creatures of the Black Arms in his rush to get to the fleeing tank.

"I saved you..?" Shadow asked disbelievingly. Cassie smiled and nodded.

"Yeah you did. And the Shadow I saw that day didn't give a flying monkey about whether he was the top dog or Agent or anything else! All he cared about was saving his home." Shadow felt a welling-up of pride and couldn't help but smile at her kind words.

Cassie watched Shadow's facial expressions change from despair to realisation and then to something akin to happiness.

"Thank you Cassie, you've really put it into perspective for me." He looked at her. "It doesn't matter what other people think, so long as I'm happy with who I am."

Cassie answered with a smile.

"What the hell…" She leaned foreword and kissed the startled hedgehog on the cheek. She withdrew, both of them slightly crimson. "That was for saving my life."

"Now come on. You can tell me what the boss-man said on the way to the car park."

She turned to lead the way, beckoning him to follow. Shadow placed a hand against his cheek, a warm, toasty feeling inside. He followed, wearing a smile and carrying a memory he wouldn't forget.

* * *

Rouge sat silently on the hospital bed. She had been there for just over an hour, and yet she had already been cleaned, patched up and dressed for her long stay in Station Square General. She had heard that there was meant to be a Psychologist coming to see her in the morning to test her mental stability, but that didn't matter.

What mattered to her was the fact that she had been through hell and survived. She had suffered a near surgical method of torture at the hands of a clear psychopath. She had watched the serpent get killed, seen the blood erupt from his head. He was dead, clear cut and simple. But for her, that death had come a little too late.

She had been told that Sonic was still in surgery due to the severity of his injuries, and that both Amy and Tails had been told.

They had arrived about half an hour ago, and for all Rouge knew they were still here, waiting outside for any word on their hero. Neither had been to visit her and the one person she wanted to contact distinctly lacked any form of modern communications.

She wanted to see him again; she needed to see him again. It had been the only thing to keep her going when it would have been so much easier to lie down and give up. She closed her eyes and thought of him, and where he might be.

"Don't tell me what I can and can't do!" The sudden commotion outside her door caused her eyes to snap back open, just in time to see it swing open and another patient limp in.

Rouge recognised the audacious anthro immediately, her face cracking into the first smile since Shadow had helped her onboard the helicopter.

"Rouge, what happened? You look terrible!" The white bat smiled at her friend.

"These last few hours are ones I'd rather forget." The anthro sat down next to her and wrapped her free arm around the bats shoulders.

"You know you can tell me anything girl." Rouge laid her head against her friends' fuzzy shoulder.

"I know, but I'd rather not think about it."

"Say no more Rouge." The feline turned her gaze on the two orderlies waiting just inside the door. "Will you two piss off? This is girl time!"

As they scrambled away Sheba pulled Rouge close, letting the night slowly creep by in a comforting silence.

* * *

"My name is Knuckles, Guardian of Angel Island and until recently, considered the last of the echidna race." He said flatly. His lone interrogator frowned.

"What are you talking about?" She demanded.

"Believe me, today came as a bit of a shock to me as well." Perhaps the biggest understatement the echidna had ever said.

When the day had begun, Knuckles had to his knowledge been the only surviving echidna on the whole of Mobius. Not only did he find out that he wasn't, he also found out that these echidnas had been living for who knows how long within another zone of existence, sent there by the combined power of the Master emerald and determination of the Priestess Tikal.

"But the last of the echidnas? That's just absurd!" Shade exclaimed. "True there has been a strict rule against parents having multiple children, but nether-the-less we have flourished!"

"I'm still trying to figure this whole thing out here! I mean, I thought the Nocturnus clan was wiped out along with the Pachacamac over two thousand years ago!"

"Two thousand years!" Shade's eyes widened. "But that can't be? We've only been trapped in the Twilight Cage for three generations!"

"Wait, but… that would only be what? A hundred, hundred and fifty years or so." Both echidnas looked at each other, wonder and confusion on their faces. Shade rubbed her chin.

"That must mean there's a time dilation between the Twilight Cage and Mobius, meaning we've been gone for…" She looked back up into Knuckles' eyes.

Just then the door was opened by a pink furred echidna with lavender bangs and violet eyes.

"There you are Shade! What are you doing with the intruder…?" She trailed off as she looked him up and down.

"Julie please close your gaping mouth." Muttered Shade while shaking her head. The pink echidna snapped her mouth shut, a slight red tinge coming to her cheeks.

She was slightly shorter than Shade, who in turn was slightly shorter than Knuckles. She wore a black and green vest, a golden belt, a pair of white mittens and a pair of heavy green boots. There was a strange multi-barrelled weapon attached to her right thigh and her left arm and one of her fore-quills had been augmented with cybernetic implants.

"Knuckles, this is my sister Julie-Su. Luckily she's only my half-sister." That snapped the new arrival out of her stupor.

"Hey!" Shade suddenly grabbed Julie-Su by her vest and pulled her into the confines of the small chamber, closing the door behind her.

"Breath a word of this to anyone and I'll get Doctor Zachary to remove your left arm!" Hissed the annoyed echidna.

"Oh come on Shade! All I want to know is why you're in here in the first place?" Julie-Su replied quickly.

"Listen Julie, Knuckles here isn't from this island!"

"Huh?" Confusion was evident on the young girls face. Shade groaned.

"You know we've somehow been freed from the Twilight Cage?" Julie-Su nodded. "Well Knuckles was already here when we got back!"

"But I… I still don't get it." Admitted the pink echidna, rubbing the back of her neck.

"Ugh! Just trust me on this would you?"

"All right, all right!" Stammered Julie-Su, holding her hands up in mock surrender.

"Procurator Lien-Da has ordered me to take him to the Imperator for further interrogation."

"Then why are you here instead of over there?" Julie-Su interrupted with a wide grin.

"I-I just… wanted to know what was going on instead of being kept out of the loop!"

"Of course you did." Muttered Julie, eyeing up the suddenly self-conscious Guardian.

"Julie!" Cried a distinctly red faced Shade.

"What? You have to admit, he's much better looking than all the other-"

"Yes! I get it!" Shade butted it. "Now if you excuse me?"

Shade pushed the symbol on her headband, causing her helmet to reshape around her head, and more importantly, hide her now very crimson cheeks from view. She then grabbed Knuckles by the arm and dragged him out of the chamber and back into the bleak corridor, leaving a rather happy looking Julie-Su waving them off.

Knuckles however, was still completely lost as to what had just happened.

* * *

King Elias clambered over some fallen debris as the trio forged on through the dimly lit tunnels.

"Found anything Rotor?" Bunny asked over the communicator.

The old Freedom Fighters had split into two groups, Bunny, Antoine and the King had gone in search of Dr. Robotnik's missile, while Rotor, as the technical minded one of the group, had ventured out on his own to recover the AI Nicole and attempt to restore power to the underground complex.

"I've managed to get Nicole and we're heading towards the backup generator now." The walrus's voice crackled back.

"Nicole, what's happened, any ideas?" Elias asked over his own communicator.

"It is logical that the projectile emitted a short ranged electromagnetic pulse to knock out my security sensors. However, there would be little reason for it to do so unless-"

"It wasn't a missile." King Elias interrupted with a snarl.

"My analysis exactly Sire." Antoine and Bunny shared a worried glance. "It is therefore to be assumed that Dr. Robotnik is somewhere within this underground facility."

"Well then, let's give the old Dr. a welcome he won't soon forget!" Elias drew his twin daggers and set off into the gloom. Antoine gingerly drew his own sabre and followed his King leaving Bunny Rabbot trailing behind.

"Do what you can Rotor." Bunny said over the crackling radio waves. "The King's on a mission."

"Alright Bunny, I'll let you know when I get power back." With a click, Rotor switched off his communicator, leaving Bunny in silence as she quickly caught up with the others.

* * *

Dr. Robotnik smiled as he hooked up his old backup power generator to his small collection of dusty computers and monitors. The small confines of the small lead chamber brought back a sense of nostalgia. Various tools and scraps of metal and electronics were scattered over worktops and discarded into the corners.

As the screens began to flicker back to life, some registered old blueprints and plans of some of the earliest mechanical marvels and monstrosities he had created. The Dr. however chose to ignore those, instead searching through the paper folders containing information on his illusive and mysterious former contact, whose research focussed on Daemonology and the theory that such creatures truly existed within another zone or realm of existence.

Dr. Robotnik recalled registering a large amount of Chaos energy being unleashed almost thirty-five years ago, long before the theory of Chaos energy had been jointly published by the eccentric Professor Von Schlemmer and the inventor Professor Caninestein, within the peaks of the largely unexplored Blue Ridge Mountain range, the supposed location of his contacts own secret laboratory.

For years Dr. Robotnik had searched for the well hidden base with little success. But just two days ago, there had been a break in the continuous blizzards that raged across the mountain range and his satellites had picked up a number of suitable locations. He had sent several search probes to investigate too little avail, until one was destroyed as it neared its target destination.

Flicking on his old satellite imager, Dr. Robotnik zoomed the fuzzy image to the last location where the destroyed probe transmitted. Squinting at the screen, he fiddled with the controls, cleared the image of as much interference as possible, and activated the thermal imaging. Small pinpricks and hotspots of red and yellow appeared on screen. After searching for several minutes the Dr. finally found what he was searching for. A sinister grin spread across his face and he turned to the old molecular transporter he hadn't used for years.

* * *

Hidden deep into the side of the largest peak of the Blue Ridge mountain range, a wizened old man in a long white coat, stained with years of experiments and caked in dirt shuffled through his dark, dreary and silent laboratory.

He walked slowly past several large cylindrical containers holding his many failed experiments floating in a thick green fluid. Each container bared a roman numeral, and each twisted form within was a foul imitation of anthro kind. Some looked more like the anthro they were meant to be than others, but each one was long dead and slowly decaying. All except one.

The old man stopped in front of his only living experiment, number thirteen. Inside the large container floated a red and black furred wolf wearing the same black skin-tight uniform the other experiments were wearing. The only thing that would cause her to stand out in a crowd were her four fluffy tails. She looked almost serene, floating peacefully in her glass container. The old man shuddered inwardly at the memory of when he had last released her.

The young wolf was the only one of his experiments to survive the fusion between genetic material and an otherworldly Daemonic entity. The process granted her unfathomable control over Chaos energy, increased speed and agility and extraordinary psychic abilities.

Unfortunately, this success also caused this seemingly peaceful creature to mutate into a draconic Daemon spawn, increasing the strength of her powers exponentially, and yet driving her into a rage fuelled slaughter of any and all living things in her path. So long as she was kept sedated and contained, Mobius would be safe. He ran his hand along the container, feeling the raised letters he had stamped onto the glass.

He slowly returned to his work desk and began pouring back over all the research he had done in his attempts to quell the murderous rage within her. Looking back down the line of silent tubes, he pondered the course of his life, the mistakes, the successes and everything that pushed him onwards.

"Soon my daughter, you will once again see the world and breath freely. I just need a little more time, my Silhouette." A sudden flash of light caused the old man to fall from his chair with a yelp. He stared through his now broken half-moon glasses at a figure striding towards him. His eyes widened as he recognised who it was.

"Greetings my old friend." Said the sinister voice.

"Wh-what do you want?" The old scientist asked, his voice quivering with fear. The figure chuckled.

"I want you to finally fulfil your end of the bargain. You've had thirty-five years to figure out what went wrong the last time, and my patients is now at an end!" Dr. Robotnik steped into the light flickering from the fallen lamp, a sinister glint in his eyes and an evil smile on his lips.

* * *

**And there we go!**

**Another chapter done, more answers and more questions, more twists and more turns!**

**What's going to happen to Knuckles?  
What is Dr. Robotnik up to now?  
And who or what is this Silhouette?  
****And why do people only do three questions at a time?**

**Anyway, for more info on Silhouette you can asked her owner, Silhouette the Daemon-Wolf.  
Otherwise, just stay tuned and we'll see what happens next.**

**This is Corrupt TE saying, see you next time!**


	21. For the Worse?

**Chapter 21 is done and dusted.**

**Mostly character development, as each one is facing a hugh change in their lives.  
I've still got a ways to go, but personally I'm not sure if this Fic will reach chapter 30.**

**More on that at a later date, but right now just read, enjoy and if you feel like it review.**

* * *

Amy sat down in the lime green waiting room, wringing her hands together in worry and continually looking up at the door through which Sonic, her Sonic was lying, and she was unable to do anything to help. She had been sitting there for hours now, with no knowledge as to what was happening and how it was going.

Tails was pacing up and down fitfully, his hands dug deep into the pockets of his oil stained blue overalls. The young mechanic had been working on his newest design of the Tornado when the hospital had contacted him with the terrible news of Sonic's rush to surgery. He looked over at the sakura hedgehog who had been sitting in silence since he had arrived.

Neither of them had been told how Sonic had been injured so badly as to warrant surgery, and the Doctors and Nurses had almost out rightly forbidden them to see the cobalt hedgehog. Tails was surprised that Amy hadn't pulled out her Piko-hammer yet. The young fox sighed and took a seat opposite her.

"I'm sure he'll be fine." He said after several minutes of silence. Amy glanced up for a moment before returning to staring at her hands. Tails looked down. "He'll be fine. He is Sonic after all…"

He drifted back into a depressing silence as he calculated all the possible outcomes of the surgery. They stayed this way, eyes flitting to the unmoving double doors, waiting, hoping, preying. After several long, minutes slowly dragged themselves by there was motion from beyond the tinted plastic glass of the double doors. Tails leapt to his feet immediately, startling Amy into looking up herself.

A tired looking surgeon stepped through, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand. They looked at him, anxiety coursing through their minds. Eventually the surgeon smiled. An intense sense of relief flooded the room and Amy brought her hands to her mouth, tears of happiness glistening in her eyes.

"He is still heavily sedated, and he will remain here for a few weeks before we are confident that he is fully healed. But other than that, he is in the clear for now."

"So… can we see him?" Asked Amy shakily. The Doctor frowned.

"You may. But you won't get much out of him and I warn you, the sight may shock you." He led them through the doors and down a clinical white corridor and stopped before the door to a private ward.

As they entered the darkened room Tails heard Amy's horrified gasp. Lying motionless on a light blue bed covered by a white quilt was Sonic the Hedgehog. He had been hooked up to a ventilator, heart monitor and had two bags of fluid slowly siphoning down clear plastic tubes into his system, one a clear bag of saline and the other filled with crimson blood. He was deathly pale and the heart monitor beep away slowly and quietly.

The curtains were drawn closed and the only light came from the hallway beyond the open door. Amy and Tails were lucky that Sonic had been covered by the quilt, because the cobalt hedgehog's chest had been stitched and bandaged heavily with various dressings to promote faster healing. Tails looked at the tired Doctor, his mouth suddenly dry.

"H-how long is he going to…"

"He will recover in time, but it is imperative that he gets as much rest as possible. He was very badly hurt and any strenuous task could very well reopen his wound." Tails turned back to his idol with a distinct feeling of regret and sorrow.

"Can we stay with him tonight?" Amy inquired her trembling voice almost lost to the hustle a bustle of the hospital. The Doctor frowned and was initially going to refuse, but the look on her face was enough to persuade him.

"It is irregular, but I will allow it this time. Just be careful not to harm him any further!" With that final warning, the doctor left them alone. Amy walked slowly to Sonic's bedside and sat down in the chair next to him, never taking her eyes from his face.

"I need to get back to the workshop." Tails said after several long and unbearable minutes. "Are you going to be alright here?"

She looked up at him, and nodded once before going back to staring at Sonic. Tails slowly backed towards the door, taking one last look back at the two hedgehogs before he left.

* * *

The two Agents stepped out into the large concrete car park. Shadow had just finished telling Cassie all about his encounter with the Commander, and the changes that now lay in store for him.

"So basically you're no longer the top Agent, you've been put in charge of the homicide department, and you've still got to solve this murder case." Cassie recounted. Shadow nodded in agreement.

"Pretty much yes." Despite having just lost his high standing within the Guardian Unit of Nations, Shadow found himself in a very happy mood. "And thanks to what you and Knuckles found out, we've got a good head start on solving it."

"There's no we in that Shadz." Said Cassie. The ebony hedgehog looked sidelong at her, a questioning look in his eyes. "When Sally took over the case after you vanished on your mission, she sent Knuckles back to Angel Island and I, sorta withdrew myself from the investigation."

Shadow looked at her, the corner of his mouth quirking upwards in a half-smile. "Well I can't be in charge of team of Agents when I'm the only one."

Cassie smiled back at him. "Thanks Shadow, but it's going to take more than just the two of us to solve this case."

"Agreed. That's why we should get Knuckles back as soon as possible." He unlocked his Landrover. "That said we should also head to the hospital and check in on Sheba and the others."

He opened the passenger door and held it for Cassie. "Aren't you a gentleman. But should you be driving with your arm like that?"

Shadow grinned and closed the door after her and shrugged his left arm out of its sling. "One of the perks being me is quicker healing."

Cassie shook her head with a grin. "Anyway, Knuckles is back on Angel Island. Everything seems to be changing."

"What do you mean?" Shadow asked as he got into the drivers seat and strapped on his safety belt.

"It's… a little different than it used to be." She followed his example and put on her seatbelt. "That's the best description I can give at the moment. I feel like I could sleep for days."

Shadow looked across at her as he slowly drove towards the exit. She leaned back in her chair and stifled a yawn. He glanced down at the clock on his dashboard.

"Maybe we should forego going to Station Square till the morning." Cassie opened one eye and looked sidelong at the ebony hedgehog.

"If you drop me off at the Train Station car park, I'll pick up my car and head home."

"I could always drive you home and pick you up in the morning?" Cassie opened her other eye and focussed on Shadow's face. He kept all emotion from his features as he concentrated on driving through the night.

"Yeah I guess you could." Cassie answered, slightly sceptically. In Shadow's head he was fighting a losing battle of wills against uttering the next sentence.

"Or you… could spend the night at my place?" He muttered quickly, trying hard to keep his cheeks from flushing red to little success. Cassie's ears perked up and her eyes widened. "Unless I… read too much into what happened earlier and… um… I'm just going to shut up now."

Shadow rubbed his face with his left hand before returning it to the steering wheel. He couldn't believe he had just said that, and to someone he hadn't known for very long at all. He didn't notice the look on Cassie's face as he drove them around another corner.

In turn, Cassie couldn't believe what Shadow had just asked her. She thought she had overstepped the mark when she had kissed him outside the Commanders office. True it was only on the cheek, but nether-the-less she had read in his file that Shadow often out rightly refused any approach of friendship, let alone any emotional attachment. She struggled to find her voice and it wasn't long till Shadow spoke again.

"Sorry I uhh… just forget what I said. Um… where abouts do you live?" Cassie mentally slapped herself for becoming speechless.

"No it's um… its fine." She smiled sheepishly, a smile Shadow caught out of the corner of his eye. "I just hope you're a good cook. I'm starving!"

Shadow chuckled lightly, a quirky smile showing on his face as he drove towards his home. A great weight felt like it had lifted from his shoulders, he had been given another chance to live his life, and he was willing to do whatever it took to live to the fullest.

* * *

Shade led him into a small chamber filled with great winding gears and technological majesty. The far wall was covered in words and scribbles, the white chalk standing out against the black wall. She dropped to her knee, her head bowed.

"Imperator. I have brought you the intruder as ordered." It was then Knuckles noticed a shadowy figure in the corner of the room.

Stepping into the glowing blue light was a tall albino echidna with three long, thick quills set standing upright, giving him a taller, more sinister look. He wore a long flowing deep purple robe edged with gold and decorated with light blue symbols. A thick golden gorget hung from his neck, the dark metal extensions blocking most of his face from view.

Similar bracelets were around his wrists and ankles, and despite the obvious weight of this ensemble, he was extremely light footed, his footsteps hardly even making a sound. He circled around the Guardian, much like Lien-Da had done so.

"I know every single echidna on this island by sight alone, so the only logical outcome would be that you are not from this island, but a true Mobian echidna." He stopped in front of Knuckles, his glowing blue eyes boring deep into Knuckles eyes as if he was looking for something.

"There is power within you. Something I haven't felt since…" He turned swiftly back to the wall, producing a piece of white chalk from the recesses of his robes. He began scribbling things down in a language which the Guardian couldn't understand.

"High Praetorian." Shade looked up from her knelt position. "I believe this is the perfect opportunity to find out what has changed to our world during our absence. Take the intruder to the dungeons and gather together your best Scouts. You leave immediately."

Shade and Knuckles were both shocked at the Imperator's words, but for completely different reasons. Shade because she would be the first of her clan to set foot into the returned world, and Knuckles because he realised how much trouble he was now in. "Y-yes my Lord Ix."

"You may leave me." The two echidnas left quickly, the crimson guardian wearing an expression of confusion and forethought. When the door finally closed behind them, Imperator Pir-Oth Ix activated a video com-link to his fellow technomage. "We are truly home my friend."

The figure on the screen remained in the darkness, obscuring his face. "How can you certain Imperator?"

Imperator Pir-Oth Ix smiled behind his gorget. "Because I have just felt the power coursing through someone, the power we have lacked for so many years!"

"Chaos…" Even though Pir-Oth Ix couldn't see, he knew that the echidna on the other end of the com-link was smiling. Soon the Nocturnus clan would retake its rightful place as the dominant society on Mobius, and the world would realise why they were banished, and tremble once again to the march of the Nocturn Legions.

* * *

**Sometimes I just have to hit myself for the amount of plot twists and turns I write down...**

**Knuckles in trouble, Sonic hospitalised and Shadow facing his new life head on.  
Shade about to lead Nocturn warriors onto Mobius soil for the first time in thousands of years, and Ix and his mysterious partner planning something to do with the powers of Chaos.  
What could possibly go wrong?**

**Anyway a quick shoutout to anyone with an Echidna OC: I'm after extra's to be Nocturn warriors, just PM or give me a shout.**

**Corrupt TE is gone.**


	22. What to do?

**Feels like ages since I last updated FntS, but its only been a week!  
Damn it's been a very slow week...**

**Anyway, mainly character and plot development this week, nothing major.  
I'm setting things up for later as it were.**

**Anyway, on with the chapter.**

* * *

Shade solemnly walked down the third flight of steps, occasionally nudging Knuckles in the back whenever he paused in his decent of the long, cold stone flight of stairs. Neither guard, nor prisoner spoke on their decent, as neither could find the words to utter.

The red furred guardian refused to put up a fight as he was guided into simple iron barred cell. Shade removed her helmet and looked Knuckles in the eyes. She didn't want to do this. Not to the first person she had met who wasn't from this island, not to him.

She felt a kinship with red guardian. Her entire life was spent in combat training or studying military tactics. She had fought hard to raise herself through the ranks to the lofty heights of High Praetorian, outclassing both her piers and instructors on many occasions. It was because of her unwavering loyalty, brutal efficiency and unsurpassed combat expertise that had caught the eye of Procurator Lien-Da.

But despite all of her success, all of her commendations and honours won battling the other denizens of the Twilight Cage, Shade often felt lost and alone in her own clan.

Many an hour was spent on a balcony overlooking the small lump of land floating in a veritable sea of blackness, hoping, wishing for something different. Indeed, if it hadn't been for the efforts of her sister Julie-Su, Shade was sure she could well have gone mad.

"I wish I didn't have to do this." She admitted morbidly.

"Then why are you?" Knuckles bit back darkly. Shade took a step back, she was unsure why but she was slightly hurt by the tone of his voice.

"I'm following orders, it's not like I've got a choice!" She snapped back.

"There's always a choice Shade, and only you can make it, no-one else can make it for you." He turned away and stared at the solid black stone wall at the back of his cell. "If all my years alone have taught me anything, it's that you make your own destiny."

Shade left the silent guardian, his cell door sliding closed behind her. When she reached the foot of the long stairwell back up she looked over her shoulder, only to see his back turned and shoulders hunched.

* * *

Knuckles listened as her footsteps faded into the distance. Once he was certain he was alone, he sat down and crossed his legs, closed his eyes and steadied his breathing. He reached out with his consciousness and touched the Master Emerald with his thoughts.

"*Tikal, I need you advice.*" A slight, familiar tingle assaulted the back of his mind as the echidna spirit responded.

"*How may I help you guardian?*" The young Priestesses soft voice echoed through his mind. Knuckles remembered how freaked out he had been when she had first contacted him in this way.

"*I must escape here and tell Sonic, Shadow, everyone about the echidna's return! Who knows what could happen if these Nocturnus simply marched off into Mobius?*"

"*And Chaos agrees with you.*" Tikal replied quickly. "*But I believe that you should bide your time. You have planted the seeds of doubt in the mind of the High Praetorian, and it is my belief that she will see that what her clan does is wrong.*"

"*And if you are wrong?*" Knuckles said hesitantly. There was an audible pause.

"*Then I will attempt to undo what I have done.*" Tikal's presence faded, leaving Knuckles sat on the floor deep in thought.

Should he wait and trust in Tikal's assumption? Or should he escape to bring warning to the world? And what of the other clan inhabiting the island, the clan living within the stone temples? What were their views on this change of events?

So many questions, and so little time to seek answers.

He slowly drifted off into an uneasy sleep.

* * *

Shadow pulled up outside a tall apartment building near the outskirts of the city. Comprising of seven floors, having one of the best views of the ocean and some of the largest, most extravagant apartments made this particular building sought after by many of the rich and successful.

Cassie had rarely come to this area of the city, having never been well off in means of money, and lacking in successful family to sponge off. That combined with the fact that most of the murder investigations she was involved with were committed in the downtown regions, shady alleyways and the gambling dens of Night Babylon, meant that she was never really given the chance to rub shoulders with the city's elite, and yet here she was, standing in front of one of the most prestigious apartment buildings in the city!

"You live here!" She exclaimed as she climbed out of his car.

"Yes, but honestly I spend more time at headquarters or Rouge's nightclub." Shadow replied nonchalantly, as he locked his car and fished his apartment keys from his quills. Cassie smirked.

"Never thought you were the clubbing type Shadz." The ebony hedgehog grinned back and unlocked the door.

"Nah! I usually spend the night on the owners' balcony listening to the music. I find the heavy bass quite soothing." They walked through the silent lobby and entered an elevator.

"So which one are you?" Cassie asked, pointing at the many buttons. Shadow grinned again as his finger pushed the one for the top floor. Cassie raised and eyebrow of wonder.

"At least the music in these lifts is up to date." Commented Shadow, clicking his fingers to the steady beats emanating from the small speaker in the top corner of the enclosed space. Cassie listened, recognising the music as one of the latest top twenty. They rose swiftly in silence before stepping out into a small hallway with one door at the end.

Shadow held the door open for his guest as she stepped into a place rarely seen by others. The walls were painted a bright light grey, reflecting the warm glow of the small shaded hanging lights; the floor was hardwood laid over with various long striped carpets. The lavender hedgehog walked slowly around the living room, taking it all in with silent wonder.

A hard oak bookshelf was against the far wall next to a large window looking out over the golden sanded beach and azure-blue ocean. Books both hard-backed and paper were slotted next to each other in organised chaos; piles of vinyl records graced the top shelf along with an old turntable.

There was a small wooden coffee table piled with research books and case files slowly gathering dust, the black soft leather three-seat sofa, light brown recliner and matching armchair looked like no-one had sat in them for weeks on end.

Decorating the walls were various sepia and black and white photographs of landscapes and city streets, along with other paraphernalia including what appeared to be the sword taken from one of the Black Arms during the invasion.

"Sit down while I um… get us something to drink." Shadow quickly darted into his kitchen and, stopped. He stood motionless in front of his fridge with a singular thought running through his head.

"_What do I do?"_

This was the first time he had ever invited someone around to his home, the first time he had to play host to a guest, and he had no idea of how to even begin. He peaked back around the door frame to see Cassie idly looking over his collection of various keepsakes. She had removed her heavy G.U.N jacket revealing a simple grey tank-top which hugged her curves beautifully.

Shadow pulled himself back into the kitchen and shook his head violently.

"Get a hold of yourself Shadow!" He growled quietly to himself. Taking several deep breaths he finally summoned the will to pick up a pair of glasses and filled them both with water.

Cassie was taking a closer look at the Black Arms sword when Shadow re-entered the room. She turned to him and accepted the glass with a smile.

"What haven't got anything stronger?" She asked with a smirk. Shadow frowned as he looked down at the clear water sloshing in the glass.

"I… well, I've never seen the attraction of alcohol so there's little reason for me to have any." Cassie sat down and looked up at him quizzically.

"So you've never had a drink? Never got drunk?" Shadow shook his head as he sat down on the recliner opposite her.

"No I haven't." Cassie's grin unsettled the ebony hedgehog slightly.

"Well we can't have that can we?" She looked at her watch, the time being almost eleven in the evening. "Tell you what, instead of cooking lets just order in, and this weekend, I'm going to take you out on the town."

Shadow chuckled. "Yeah, why not."

* * *

Tails turned on his desk light and rolled out the large blank blueprint. Squinting in the light he took pen in hand and began sketching a new plane design. He immersed himself in his work to keep his mind off of the terrible truth that lay in the Station Square hospital. Another mistake in the design and he threw his pen across the table.

He buried his head in his hands. He couldn't remember the last time Sonic had gotten hurt; it was just something that had never happened. Not once in all their adventures could he recall Sonic getting hurt. The blue blur would just flash through everything, dodge any missile or projectile, trash anything that threatened him or any of his friends and be off to the nearest chilli-dog stand before you knew it.

For years he had followed Sonic, helped him through thick and thin, and now would be no different.

He flipped the blueprint paper over and scrambled for his pen. He began jotting down ideas and plans, small sketches of machines and lines upon lines of calculations. He paused, pen nib hovering just above the paper.

"I'm going to need some help." He sprinted to his computer and began a search for his old friend and fellow inventor. The satellite image swiftly found its mark but what was shown on the screen was one of the last things the young twin-tailed fox wanted to see. "Nononono!"

He rushed back to his worktop, snatched up the blueprints and ran out to his waiting biplane. The image left on the screen was the smoking remains of the Acorn Castle.

* * *

**Heres me, suffering the agony of enjoying the sunshine while I type this up to sate my writting hunger.  
Ok that sounded a bit strange but I don't care.**

**In a completely unrelated matter, FntS is now in the top ten Sonic crime stories on word length.**

**Well better wrap this up,  
Corrupt TE is outta here!**


	23. A Different Tail

**Corrupt TE here with an early update.  
****Reason being, I've got a busy weekend ahead of me.**

**But enough of that.  
Different perspective this week, bringing its own challenges and rewards.**

**So enough of me, what you want is the chapter below.**

**Enjoy**

* * *

Nothing but the adrenalin pumping swiftly through his system kept him going. He pushed the small two-man aircraft to new heights of speed, causing the engines to work fast and harder than they ever had. The wind whipped past his ears as the little aircraft thundered through the night sky. He hurtled above the clouds, the glittering starlight reflecting a calm which he did not feel.

He continually tried his long-range communicator but got the same white noise each time. Thumping the hissing speaker the twin-tailed pilot resigned himself to reach his destination as quickly as possible. Manipulating the controls, he dipped below the cloud line and scanned the rolling landscape beneath him. Sighting his destination on the horizon, he brought his plane down from its lofty heights and began skimming along at low altitude. He switched his communicator to broadcast to any open frequency.

"This is Tails Prower, contacting anyone within the vicinity of Castle Acorn. Are you reading me? Over." A crackling sound was his only answer. "I repeat. This is Tails Prower, does anyone read me?"

His modified Tornado III swooped through the air as he neared the still erect walls of Mobotropolis. With a press of a button, the small aircraft began to fold in on itself. Its wings folded down flat against the sides of the cockpit; the tail folded down, retracting into itself and four wheels emerged from the undercarriage.

Because of his close proximity to the ground, the newly transformed Tornado III barely bounced when it landed wheels down on the tarmac street. Not even considering slowing down, the golden fox gunned the engine and roared past empty buildings and abandoned vehicles. Although Mobotropolis had changed considerably during his absence, Tails could remember the city layout well enough to speed through with little worry.

Despite the city being seemingly abandoned, Tails couldn't see any reason or evidence of a mass exodus of people fleeing for their lives. The only thing that was amiss was the faint column of smoke that drifted skyward from the castle ruins. He switched his communicator back on to attempt radio contact again.

"This is Tails Prower. I am on my way to castle Acorn, is there anyone out there? Respond!" The crackling that followed was permeated with broken syllables of speech. The fox's eyes narrowed and he began fiddling one-handed with his receiver. "Say again? Transmission is extremely weak."

"-oody chaos dam- machine!" A feminine voice growled over the radio waves.

"Hold that frequency!" Tails exclaimed, boosting his own transceiver signal. "Are you reading me now?"

"We are now. Loud and crackly! We've only got the old short-ranged radios which haven't seen use since the days of the Freedom Fighters!" Tails slowed his vehicle to a stop.

"We? Where are you, this place is a ghost town?" The voice snorted in amusement.

"It would be up top! Entire populace has been evacuated to the bunkers and shelters below ground." What sounded like a slight scuffle followed by a brief argument sounded over the clicks and whistles of interference, before the girl came back. "Sorry about that. Boss man wants to know if we can trust you. What's your name and purpose in Mobotropolis?"

Tails rolled his eyes. "My name is Miles 'Tails' Prower, I'm a friend of the ex-Freedom Fighters and came to offer my help. Is that good enough for your boss?"

The voice laughed. "Probably not, but it's good enough for me. You'll be heading to the castle then?"

"Yeah. They would've been in the Panic Room right?"

"They were when we last knew about it. That was before the EMP took out the communications grid." Tails heart began beating faster.

"What of Nicole, Rotor and the Freedom Fighters?" He asked shakily.

"We don't know. We've barely been able to keep order down here, let alone organise a rescue party."

"Well I'm going in there to try and find them!" The young fox snapped.

"No need to get testy! Just give a girl a second to grab her things and I'll meet you on the castle steps." Tails was taken aback and it took him a second to respond.

"Thanks! I'll uhh… see you there."

"It's a date then!" The radio cut off, leaving only fizzing white noise rasping through the speakers. Tails blinked a few times, his mind slowly digesting what he heard.

"Did she just say a date?" He thought aloud. He wasn't surprised when he didn't get an answer. He shrugged, switched off the communicator and revved the engine, setting off once again for the ruins of the Acorn throne.

* * *

The emergency recall function of his matter transporter sent Dr. Robotnik back into his long hidden secret laboratory. His face was pale and he was sweating profusely, but despite this he wore a toothy grin. The knowledge he had gained and the information his miniature hacking device had obtained from the Professors' electronic database would be invaluable to his research.

He practically skipped to his portable mainframe as he pulled the tiny memory chip from his wrist device and slotted it into a jury-rigged reader. As the information began flashing upon the dusty, cracked screen, Robotnik turned his attention to the only early warning system he had; a single hidden security camera poised at the hidden entrance to his domain.

Although he had the element of surprise on his side, there was always the annoying fact that the retched anthro were both luck and tenacious, meaning he had very little time before they found him.

"Maybe this will slow them down!" He cackled. Pressing a series of buttons on his wrist device, he sent a signal to the missile which had ferried him here.

* * *

"Any luck Bunny?" Elias demanded as he scrambled over more fallen debris. They had been turned around time and again by collapsed corridors and dangerous paths, and it was all starting to tell on the young Kings patients.

"I'm afraid not your highness." Replied the partially roboticized rabbit. "Even with Sugah-Rotes upgrades I ain't getting through."

Elias Acorn kicked a small piece of rubble, sending careening off the walls and into the semi-darkness beyond.

"Damn Robotnik to the deepest depths of Hell!" Both rabbit and coyote cringed at the kings' outburst. He continued to grumble as he stalked off in the direction of the still clattering debris. He turned the corner and pause in mid-step, a small smile creeping to his face. "Finally!"

Antoine and Bunny caught up with their king, their expressions mirroring his. They had finally found the missile.

"Antoine, have a look around. Try and find anything to tell us what the Fatman's up to this time. Bunny, seeing as Rotor's not here, you're my tech expert. What do you think of this?" As the coyote began gingerly searching the area Bunny clambered into the modified rocket. She gnawed at her bottom lip as her eyes swept across the innards of the large projectile.

It had been one of Robotnik's larger and more devastating warheads, but as she explored the intricacies of the workmanship, it became clear that the missile's payload had mean removed and replaced with a simple, roughly constructed metal chair. There were miniature screens installed which she could only assume would have provided the maniacal human a viewpoint during his journey.

The controls were simplistic, a steering stick and various switches and pedals for acceleration and defence. But what caught her attention the most was the high powered dampening system, reminiscent to that of the roboticizer and the experimental de-roboticizer Rotor had been working on during their Freedom Fighter years.

"Eggman must have been planning this thing for some time." She mused out loud.

"Why do you say that Bunny?" Asked the King, stepping forward for a better look at what she was doing.

"I'm no Rotor or Tails, but this thing was upgraded with some serious tech. I'm not sure what most of this is meant to do but Eggman wanted to come here. This would have been a one way trip." King Elias stepped back and scanned the area thoughtfully.

"Then he must've had a reason to come all this way. And I'll bet my crown that it's nothing good."

"Your Highness! I've found something." Bunny and Elias went over to the coyote who was knelt down in the dirt and dust. He pointed at a set of scuffed footprints in the dust. "He went this way."

King Elias smiled and gripped his twin daggers with renewed vigour.

"You'd better watch back Robotnik. 'Cause I'm going to bury my blades in it!" As the trio followed the footprints in the dust, none of them noticed the small flashing light within the silent converted warhead.

* * *

The purple skinned walrus picked his way carefully through the fallen cables and sparking wires. He no longer cringed when a loud crackle went off nearby, the sound being far too common to take much notice of. He had managed to get Nicole's handheld computer with out much trouble and she had been assisting him with alternate directions and suggestions whenever he needed them.

"The damage here is extensive. I recommend acting swiftly and with caution, any further disturbances could very well bring this entire complex to the ground." Rotor gulped at her words. The heat emanating from the various cables and wires, not including the electrical fires which were blazing fitfully in some area, were making him sweat heavily.

"Thanks for the warning Nicole, but I'm not planning on doing anything to make this any worse."

* * *

Tails pulled up to the stairs of the castle. The statue of the late King Maximillian Acorn had toppled over, breaking the proud looking image into pieces which scattered across the courtyard. The walls of the castle itself were still standing, but it was clear to the fox that whatever had happened had rendered the structure unstable and in danger of collapsing.

He stepped out of the tornado, eyeing up any potential entrance and thinking of what he could do to help, wishing that Sonic, Amy or even Knuckles were with his. He hated to admit it, but he had come up with the majority of his plans by either bouncing ideas off his friends or adapting their ideas into something less perilous and more likely to succeed.

He turned his head at the sound of footsteps. Out of the shadows of an empty building came another fox, a vixen to be precise.

Her fur was bright red, the tip of her tail; muzzle and chest fur was white like newly fallen snow. She wore a long heavy brown jacket with the sleeves rolled up above her elbows, a pair of short brown shorts with light brown fur trimmings, a pair of thigh high brown walking boots and a pair of black fingerless gloves.

"Hey there." She called waving. She jogged up to him with a smile on her face. "Tails right?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm Sakura McCain, we were talking over the radio." Tails raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

"I didn't think you'd actually come." Tails admitted.

"What? And spend my time surrounded by complaining plebs and royal guards with no idea what to do? No thanks Fuzzy!" She put her hands on her hips and looked at him, her head cocked to one side. "If I'm reading you right, you're planning on diving heal long into there."

She gestured towards the castle entrance. Tails folded his arms.

"I came to help my friends. I'm not about to sit back and do nothing!" The vixen, Sakura grinned at the ice in his tone.

"No argument from me Miles." Tails bristled at the use of his name, mentally cursing himself for broadcasting it. "So lets get-"

"Tails." Sakura stopped in her tracks and looked at the golden furred fox.

"What?"

"Call me Tails. I hate Miles." He put as much emphasis on the word 'hate' as he could. A moment of silence between them came and went.

"Okay. Tails it is then." The red vixen and golden fox began walking towards the stairs. "So Tails, what exactly have you go-"

For the second time, Sakura failed to complete her sentence. This time however, she was interrupted by the loud, echoing explosion that sent them both to the ground.

Tails stared in horror as the walls of the castle began tumbling down in a roar of bricks, mortar and debris.

"Sweet Chaos!" Breathed Sakura, her own eyes not believing what they saw as the iconic centre of Acorn rule came crashing to the ground.

All Tails could think was that he was too late.

* * *

**Whoo! Cliff Hanger! Don't you just hate 'em?**

**Anyway, haven't fully decided whats going to happen to the freedom Fighters yet, so anything could happen!  
(Just realised that sentence is rather redundent... oh well.)**

**As usual, hope you've enjoyed the latest chapter of my madness.**

**-Corrupt TE-**


	24. Breakthrough and Breakdown

**Another Tails heavy chapter this week as we witness the aftermath of last weeks explosion.**

**Can the two-tailed wonder save the King before its too late?  
What is Dr. Robotnik up to this time?  
And how- oh forget it!  
Just read and enjoy.**

* * *

Tails was up and running before the dust had settled and the noise had died down. He took the stone steps three at time and tore through the drifting dust, through the heavy doors which now hung precariously from their hinges and into what was supposed to be the grand entrance hall.

He darted through the rubble, over fallen pillars and around crumbling walls, his memory of the palace leading his panicked steps.

His heart was pounding in his chest, faster than it ever had been as he made it to the Throne room. He instantly rushed over to the secret entrance hidden behind a stone statue and pulled the switched to open it.

Nothing happened.

He tugged again and again, trying to force the entrance to open but to no avail. He pulled at the statue with all his might before his hands came away with lumps of masonry sending the young fox to the floor. He let loose an angry yell which echoed through the ruins before scrambling back to his feet and trying again.

"Tails!" The voice went unheard as he continued to batter his fists ineffectively against to stone. "Tails!"

Firm hands grabbed him by the shoulders and hauled him away. He staggered to retain his footing, turning on Sakura who had a stern look in her eyes.

"What help are you going to be with your hands pulverised!" Demanded the red vixen. Tails looked down and saw his battered, grazed and bleeding knuckles. Shame accompanied realisation and he hung his head.

"The mechanism is disabled, meaning it can only be opened from the other side." Sakura gently pushed Tails to one side and began looking over the blocked passageway.

"We lost all contact with the King and the Panic room moments after the missile hit." She began saying. She had produced a long screwdriver from one of her thigh-high boots and was sliding it along the edges and crevices of the statue. "With no explosion and a direct hit on the panic room being something like, I dunno a million to one chance, it was believed that an EMP was set off to scramble and disable our electronics and security measures. That was when we lost contact with Nicole."

"Now there are two reasons why I wanted to come with you." She continued, crouched down as she continued to probe and search with the screwdriver. "One, I just had to get away from that bunker. Hardly any room to move and the service there was terrible."

"And two?" Asked the twin-tailed fox. A soft click caused his ears to perk up. Sakura gestured him forward and together they pulled the now unlocked secret door open. She joined him in staring down the darkened passage, lit intermittently by flashing red lights. She was wearing a proud and smug grin.

"And two, I'm the best damned engineer in the Royal armed forces." She flipped her screwdriver twice before tucking it back into her boots. "Next to Rotor himself, I'm the best choice at getting this place back up and running."

She began sauntering down the passage before turning back to face the stunned fox. "You coming cutie, or do you want me to hold your hand?"

Tails was thankful for the dim lighting which hid the embarrassed sheen of his cheeks, and as they walked onwards he couldn't help but be thankful for her company.

They had walked along the dark passageways, turning back at dead-ends or collapsed sections for several minutes before they found themselves staring down another dark corridor.

"At least we know there's still power." Sakura commented, gesturing at the sparking wires and cables which provided their latest obstacle. Tails grimaced.

It seemed that at every turn there was something halting their efforts at progress. He knew the way through this maze of corridors, passageways and rooms from when he helped Rotor upgrade the security systems some years ago, but even he was beginning to feel lost.

"And as luck would have it, that's where we need to go." He said grimly. He scanned the nearby walls. "Maybe there's a mains panel where I can reroute the current from her to another location, giving us-"

A sharp crackling and sparking sound caught his ears and he spun around to see Sakura pulling hard at one of the closest cables. With a grunt she wrenched the dangling grey cable from the ceiling and tossed it aside. Dusting her hands she looked back at Tails, who for the second time was struck into silent awe. She grinned and winked at him before attacking the next hanging cable.

Tails stood motionless for a moment before he too leapt at the cables. After several minutes of hazardous work and a couple of minor shocks, they stood panting in the now unobscured passage.

"One problem with you intellectual types," Sakura began between breaths. "You think too much. You need to be a bit more stubborn, a bit more bloody minded. Sometimes the best way to get through something is to barrel forwards."

She stretched her back and rolled her aching shoulders, before smiling at him. "Lead the way fearless leader."

Tails grinned back. He was really starting to like this girl.

* * *

He coughed twice, a hand going to his throbbing temple. He tried to stand but fell back as something wrapped around his neck refused to let him rise. Snarling, King Elias unclasped his cloak and staggered to his feet. He looked around the collapse and saw a pair of long yellow ears bouncing erratically on the other side of a slump of debris. He clambered over the rubble to find Bunny scrabbling to uncover a partially buried coyote.

Both the King and Rabbit sported minor cuts and bruises and Elias had lost one of his twin daggers to the tunnel collapse, but Antoine D'Coolette was clearly in pain. Although conscious, his legs and right arm were being crushed under tonnes of rubble.

Elias wasted no time in rushing to the coyote's aid. Bunny's robotic arm did most of the work, but her flesh and bone fingers were bleeding from countless cuts and grazes. Soon only Antoine's arm was left trapped, which Bunny went at digging out.

"Stop!" Shouted the King. She halted in her excavation and stared at the King, who in turn was staring at the ceiling.

"We can't stop now, he's almost out!" She cried desperation and tears in her eyes.

"But if we move this it could cause another cave in." Bunny looked up and saw vast cracks and hanks of debris hanging precariously above them. She glared back at the king.

"I won't leave him!" Elias looked her in the eye.

"I know, Bunny. But we can't risk another collapse, it could kill us all!"

"I don't care! I'm getting him out!" In a flash of movement her hand was gripped tightly. She looked down at the one who held her hand, all anger vanishing from her being.

"The King is correct ma chère." Antoine said gently. Tears running down her muzzle Bunny rested her forehead against his.

"I won't leave you, I can't." Elias stood back, watching these passing moments with a great ach in his chest.

"I know, I know." Cooed Antoine in a comforting tone. "And I wouldn't ask you to, but I can no longer feel my arm."

"There must be something we can do?" She pleaded, her voice cracking as salty tears flowed freely down her face and pattered to the dusty ground.

"There is." Elias stepped forward drawing his remaining long dagger. Fear instantly appeared in Bunny's eyes.

"No! I won't let-" Elias held up his hands.

"I would never suggest that!" He snapped defensively. "We remove his arm."

Fear was replaced with horror. "You can't be serious!"

"Think about it, Bunny! Time is against us!" He pointed his blade to the ceiling. "Another cave in could happen at any time, and we need to get Antoine out of here!"

"And what about Robotnik?" Bunny asked sneeringly.

"What's important is that we get Antoine to safety." He turned his head away in shame. "If I had followed protocol instead of my own selfish actions, we all would be safe in another bunker."

He turned back to his friends and knelt down beside them. "Robotnik can go hang for all I care."

"Your arm has a built-in blow touch hasn't it, Bunny?" The dust caked rabbit nodded, her mouth suddenly dry. "Good. When I'm done you'll sear the wound shut and quickly."

The King gently laid his free palm against the coyote's forehead. "I'm sorry my friend, but this will hurt."

"An understatement I think majesty." Antoine grinned though the pain. Elias smiled.

"On the count of three. Ready?" They both nodded and Elias laid the blade gently against his friends' trapped arm. He took a deep shuddering breath. "One…"

* * *

"Adrenalin levels risen by fifty-three percent, white blood cell increase by thirteen percent. Scans indicate three broken ribs, a broken femur and fibula, a cracked clavicle, several lacerations of varying degrees and some internal bleed. I recommend you seek out medical attention immediately."

Rotor grunted in pain as he dragged himself from underneath what used to be the backup generator room. He pulled himself up against the wall, wincing at all the cuts and bruises that covered his body. He spat out a stream of blood.

"Please tell me you've got communications back, Nicole." The walrus growled through gritted red teeth.

"I am sorry Rotor, but without an uplink to the emergency systems I am unable to send anything other than a short ranged distress call." Rotor groaned and clenched his eyes shut.

"Just do it Nicole." Despair dripped from his every word. He had failed.

"Affirmative, broadcasting on all frequencies now."

Rotor stared up at the blinking red light flashing above him and reflected on his life, all his triumphs, all his failures, all those wasted opportunities.

"You respiratory and heart rate have dropped!" Came Nicole's synthesized voice, bringing the walrus back from his thoughts.

"I know, Nicole." He replied softly. "I was always afraid of dying, but now?"

He stared at that single red bulb, flashing defiantly in the dark above him. He chuckled grimly.

"Typical isn't it? This fear I've had; fear of dying, fear of being alone, of not being useful, drove me to work as hard as I could at everything I did, except for living. And it's only as I lay here that I realise I've neglected the one thing no-one should. To live." He closed his eyes, listened to his heart beat and drifted into his memories.

* * *

"Argh! Son of a kacking canine!" Sakura yelled suddenly almost causing Tails to jump out of his skin.

"What's wrong!" He faced her quickly, his heart thudding hard and fast in his chest and a slightly fearful and worried expression on his face.

She was clutching something in one hand and massaging her ear with the other.

"I forgot I had this in and it decided to try and deafen me!" She held out her palm and Tails' eyes widened.

"A communicator!"

"Don't get too excited Fuzz, it's only short-range."

"But don't you see?" He snatched the small device from her hand.

"Hey, don't be so grabby!" She moaned.

"We've now got proof that someone's still alive down here!" The excited fox continued.

"Of course, that's why they sent an SOS call." Said the red vixen mockingly.

"Which means they need our help, come on!" Sakura grabbed his hand before he could bolt off.

"Hold on! How are we even going to find them? It's not like you can add your forwarding address to Morse code!"

"True, but by realigning the wave length inhibitor, splicing through the transceiver unit and rerouting the feedback matrix," His fingers moved at a blur as he tinkered with the tiny ear piece. He had produced a miniature screwdriver from the pouch hidden in the thick fur of his tails. "I can make this communicator into a locator!"

He held out the tampered device and turned slowly on the spot. Suddenly it began emitting a sharp continuous note.

"It's that way!" He cried triumphantly, pointing his miniature screwdriver. Sakura smirked.

"Hey Tails." He looked at her, still wearing a broad grin. She pulled her screwdriver from her boot. "Mines bigger than yours."

Grinning stupidly they both delved deeper into the underground complex, following the incessant bleeping from Tails' little improvised device.

* * *

**The harsh realities of life are brought to you by Corrupt TE and his fragile mental state.**

**What of Rotor's fate you ask? Well I'm not telling. Yet anyway...**

**In other news I find myself with some free time on my hands, so next weeks update might be earlier than expected.**

**Anyway, Corrupt TE... I've no idea what I'm going to do now, so I'll just sit here and stare into space...**

**See ya!**


	25. Family, Friends and Enemies

**More goings on in the FntS universe then you could shake a stick at.  
Plus I doubt Shadow or anyone else for that matter would appreciate that very much.**

**Anyway, enough stalling lets get on with the chapter shall we?**

* * *

Shade's head hung solemnly as her feet guided her back through the fortress she knew as home. She would become the first of her clan to step foot on Mobian soil for over three generations. She should have been both excited and anxious at the opportunity, but the thought of Knuckles, the first Mobian echidna she had ever met, squatting in a dungeon cell turned her stomach.

Every Nocturnus was thrilled that Albion had returned to Mobius, but there were some who believed that Lien-Da and the Imperator wouldn't be content with just returning, that they desired to conquer it, much like they had the Twilight territories. It was hard not to see why some believed this, what with Lien-Da's strict and rigorous training regimes and the increase in the number of Gizoid attack robots.

Created by Doctor Zachary, the Gizoids were to be the ultimate of adaptable soldiers. They had been instrumental to the annexing of the Voxi race.

And what had Imperator Pir'Oth Ix meant by sensing some sort of power within Knuckles?

She shook her head. It wasn't for warriors like herself to question what was said or ordered by their superiors.

She stepped through an archway and into the fresh cool air outside. Fresh air. She had never breathed fresh air before, the atmosphere of the Twilight cage being all she knew.

Removing her helmet she inhaled deeply, relishing in the chilly air that filled her lungs. Looking up to the night sky was as breathtaking now as it had been the first time. The glinting stars like pinholes in the fabric of night, and the breeze.

Chaos… She had never felt the wind ruffle through her fur, blow through her quills. The feeling was heavenly.

She walked towards the small house that was her billet. Even though the Imperator had ordered her to leave on her mission immediately, she wasn't about to march out into the unknown without rest or on an empty stomach. She pulled off her gloves as she stepped into the simplistic living quarters for herself and her sister, Julie-Su.

The sparsely decorated home only had two rooms, a single bathroom with a toilet and sink, with the other much larger room comprising of everything else they needed. Two hard wood beds, a single small wooden table with accompanying pair of stools and a small pot stove which was currently bubbling away quietly to itself.

Julie-Su was sitting on one of the stools facing the table. She had disassembled her photon blaster and was currently cleaning it meticulously. She looked up as Shade entered.

"How'd it go?" Enquired the pink furred echidna.

In response Shade sighed heavily, slumped into the opposite stool, tossed her black gloves onto her cot, thumped her elbows to the table top and rested her chin on her hands, eyes glazing over as she stared at the pieces of Julie's blaster.

"That good eh?" Julie-Su joked in a monotone voice as she returned to cleaning her twin barrelled weapon. Shade stared at her sister for a few moments, her mind going over the days events.

"You ever wonder if we're doing the right thing." Julie-Su paused in her cleaning and glanced up at her sister.

"The right thing?" Shade sat upright, folding her arms on the table.

"I mean, in the cage we had to fight to survive, follow orders or be banished, hunt down, capture or kill those the Imperator and Procurator deemed as traitors! But we're home now." Shade turned her gaze to the darkened sky outside their home. "Surely we can stop fighting and settle down?"

Julie-Su grinned, unable to help herself even in this serious moment. "You finally got an eye on someone then?"

Shade blushed at Julie's teasing. "This is serious Julie!"

"I know, but I couldn't help it." Chuckled Julie-Su. She began rebuilding her blaster, she had done this so often that she didn't even have to look at what she was doing.

"I know what you mean Shade. But there's not much more we can do except trust in those in charge and carry on how we've always done." Shade frowned and slumped forward, resting her head on her folded arms.

"It just doesn't feel right." She mumbled. With a final click, Julie-Su completed the reconstruction of her photon blaster, checked the sights and laid it on her own cot. She stood up and went over to the bubbling pot stove.

"So what did the Imperator actually say?" She asked as she stirred the contents. Shade's mouth began to water. It may only be tasteless gruel, but she hadn't eaten anything since the twelfth bell.

"He told me I'd be leading the initial scout force heading out to explore the immediate area." Julie-Su picked up two wooden bowls and ladled some lumpy grey matter into each bowl.

"Oh wow! First out onto Mobian soil, that's great!" Shade sat back as a bowl was deposited in front of her. Julie-Su put down her own bowl and fetched two wooden spoons, tossing one over to her sister who caught it easily.

"I know I should be thrilled, I mean it's such an honour to be chosen to lead the first Nocturnus back home, but…" She trailed off and began eating slowly. Julie-Su watched her sister for several silent minutes as they both ate their meal.

"Tell you what." Julie began after finishing her last mouthful. "If you want me to keep an eye on anything while you're gone, you just have to ask."

"Thanks Julie, I can always count on you." Julie-Su smiled and shrugged.

"I'm your sister. It's my job to be there for you."

"That and make my life a living hell!" Shade joked with an evil grin.

"What ever have I done to deserve such lies and slander?" Julie-Su replied, before degrading into uncontrollable laughter. The two sisters laughed happily together.

"I'll even keep an eye on that Knuckles fellow for you." Julie continued with a wink, causing Shaded to blush once more.

"Thank you, Julie. I'm worried what the Imperator has planned for him." Shade admitted.

"Don't worry. I'll contact you should anything go down, and you come charging in to save the day!" They both laughed again.

"We'd better get some sleep. It's going to be a long day tomorrow." Although she was in a much better mood thanks to the efforts of her sister, Shade was still very apprehensive as she climbed into bed, her thoughts continually drifting back to the echidna she had left in a dank dungeon cell.

* * *

They had made excellent progress thanks to Tails' knowledge of the underground layout and the incessant beeping of his improvised locator.

"We must be getting close." Sakura stated as they rounded another corner. Tails couldn't fault her logic. By his calculations they were nearing the generator room.

"Quick question Sakura. Are you a trained medic?" Tails asked, ducking underneath a low hanging pipe.

"No, why?"

"I'm just thinking that whoever sent that distress call might need medical attention." Sakura stopped in her tracks, realisation dawning on her face.

"Oh shoot, you're right."

"I know the basics so we should be alright." Tails was only half-sure of himself though. "But we're still going to have to get whoever we find out of here as quickly as possible."

"No argument here Tails, but what if there's another cave-in? We've got no way to call for help if we need it!" Tails could understand her apprehension.

In all of his adventures with Sonic they never needed to worry about the people who were hurt. The proper services took care of that while they took care of Robotnik or whoever was to blame, and if they ever got hurt it was Amy, Cream or Vanilla, Cream's mother who helped the back to their feet. This brought his to wonder what they might find at the end of the beacon.

"We'll think of something." Muttered Tails.

They continued in silence, following the bleeps of the locator. They turned one last corner and saw a sight that chilled their blood.

Lying propped up against the wall was the bloodied form of Rotor the Walrus. His cloths were ripped and torn and stained wet with blood. His face was bruised and cut, his left tusk was broken and his eyes closed shut. His arms hung limply at his sides, a small device lying where it had fallen from his hand. His legs were splayed, his left twisting at an angle indicating a break.

"Rotor!" Both fox's rushed to the walrus's side, Tails sliding down onto his knees and began gently examining his friend closer. His left eye was a bloody mess of bruising and a thin trickle of black fluid seeped from between his closed, swollen eyelids. "Come on Rotor, don't be…"

A slight groan and a flood of relief surged over both of them. The walrus opened one bleary eye.

"Tails?"

"Don't worry, Rotor. You're gonna be alright, we're gonna get you outta here." Breathed the twin-tailed fox, tears glistening at the corners of his eyes. He looked back over Rotor's injuries. "Now uhh… w-we just need to um…"

A sharp ripping sound bit through the quiet and Tails head spun around to see where it had come from. Sakura had removed her long jacket and was tearing the sleeves from it.

"Here." She said handing him strips of cloth. He smiled as he accepted them, blushing slightly as he saw that she wore nothing else except for her bare fur, and began to bandage his friend as best he could.

Sakura looked at her now sleeveless jacket. It had been a gift for her from her parents upon twelfth birthday and she had worn it ever since then. A single tear rolled down her muzzle and with a slight shiver she put it back on. She bent down and retrieved the device and began looking it over. She shrugged when the screen remained blank and deposited it in one of her pockets.

"Sakura, give me a hand over here please." With her help, Tails lifted a weak and pale Rotor to his feet, supported him on his left side. Sakura grunted as she took her share of the walrus's weight. With Rotor being supported on both sides, the three of them began making their way back through the darkened tunnels and corridors; Tails' eye's scanning for landmarks to help in their progress.

After several slow and agonising minutes they reached a familiar stretch and saw light at the end of the corridor.

"Come on, we're almost out!" Tails exclaimed joyously. As they reached the exit, helping hands reached out and pulled them into the wreckage of the throne room.

Tails looked around, seeing the uniformed soldiers of the Royal Army. Two approached quickly, marked as medics with red crosses on the shoulders and helmets. They gently took Rotor from the two fox's and laid him on a stretcher, quickly carrying him from the bustle.

Tails turned to Sakura grinning broadly. It was at that moment that the adrenalin that had kept him going throughout the night promptly ran out and he began to collapse. Sakura grabbed him before he could hit the floor, smiling down at his face as he slept.

* * *

The Captain of the Royal Army 5th Engineers stood with his hands folded behind his back. He was coordinating a search and rescue mission, which the people had demanded when Sakura had run off to help Miles Prower. A young Private jogged up to him and saluted.

"Report." He grunted sternly.

"Sir. Report from the Throne room. Corporal Sakura McCain and Miles Prower have emerged with Rotor the Walrus, medics are currently seeing to him and Mr. Prower and Corporal McCain are resting." The Captain waved him away. The Private saluted again and left.

"Sir! We've finally re-established radio contact with the 18th Rifles. The King and two Freedom Fighters are with them!" The Captain's stone-faced expression twitched slightly.

"Very good Lieutenant. Let them know that Rotor Walrus is safe and in our hands."

"Yes Sir." The Captain turned back to observe the clean-up operation. His Engineers were rushing around the castles courtyard, moving rubble and slowly establishing a base camp. Tents had been set up and long running cables littered the floor providing power where it was needed. His mouth twitched into an unseen smile.

"You'll have to try harder than that Robotnik." He whispered.

* * *

Beneath tons of rubble, Dr. Robotnik smiled in glee. Within his secret laboratory he typed out long lines of equations, spilled over hundreds of files and reports, each time cackling sinisterly at his plan. He turned away from his desk to tinker with his molecular transporter, leaving the file open. The heading on the most prominent page was 'Project Solaris' and a greyed picture of a small sceptre laid over it.

* * *

**Finally I can more the story forward! And yes we have foreshadowing!**

**The King is safe, Robotnik is up to no good (as usual) and Shade is having doubts about her clan!  
All in a days work I suppose...**

**Anyway, we'll be seeing a return to Shadow in the next chapter and see where things go from there.**

**Till next time, have a good weekend.**

**-Corrupt TE-**


	26. First Steps into a New Day

**This chapter to way too long to write and I'm sorry for the slight delay.  
I won't bore you with my troubles and hope this chapter is worth the wait.**

* * *

Shadow stretched and yawned, the first light of the morning playing on his face. With a grunt he rolled over and promptly fell off his sofa. He looked up in annoyance at the edge of the sofa from his prone position on the floor.

Grumbling to himself, Shadow picked himself off the floor and sat back down on the sofa. Rubbing at his eyes Shadow began wondering why he had slept there when a perfectly comfortable bed was just in the other room. He looked over at the door in realisation and smiled.

"That's why." He muttered as memories of the previous evening flowed back through his mind.

Stifling a yawn he stood up and scratched at an itch on his right shoulder. He dawdled into his kitchen and turned on the coffee percolator, opening a cupboard he picked out two rarely used mugs. The creak of a door told him that his guest had woken and was now moving around.

"Morning!" He called and was answered with an unladylike grunt. Shadow chuckled. "How do you have your coffee in the mornings?"

"With a dash of milk please." Cassie replied sleepily as she joined him in the kitchen.

"Do you take sugar?" Shadow asked without looking up, his back still towards her.

"Thanks Shadow, but I'm sweet enough." Shadow chuckled again.

"Bringing out the corny lines already, eh Cassie?" He turned around and upon seeing her, his cheeks flushed red and his eyes bulged in their sockets.

All Cassie was wearing was the same sleeveless tank-top from the night before, thus revealing her lacy black knickers. She stretched her arms above her head, the action revealing her cream midriff to the enraptured hedgehog.

"Uhm… Cassie, do- I don't want to seem rude, but uhh…" He gestured at her in hopes she would get what he was coming to. Confusion changed to understanding and a slight pink shade appeared on Cassie's cheeks.

"Oh! Sorry Shadow I… Well force of habit I guess." She smiled sheepishly as he finished pouring the coffee's and handed one to her. "Although your awkwardness is rather entertaining."

Shadow growled and her grin grew wider. "I'll be back in a bit Shadow."

She turned and walked away, intentionally swaying her hips provocatively. Shadow watched, captivated until she disappeared back into his bedroom. Shadow turned and slammed his head down onto the kitchen side.

"_Get a hold of yourself Shadow!"_ He thought as he rubbed at his now throbbing forehead. _"All right, think! You've got an attractive young woman in your home, who just so happens to have no shame or qualms about how she looks. She's already sort of expressed her feeling for you and its clear you like her, so why are you acting like this!"_

He paced up and down his small kitchen, busying his hands by grabbing the various things he would need to cook a good breakfast. _"You're the Ultimate Lifeform! You've defeated an entire Alien race and saved the world! You're one of the most powerful creatures on all Mobius! So why can't you- UGH!"_

He rubbed at his face and looked up at the ceiling. "Maria, if you can hear me… I really need some help."

He was unsurprised when he didn't receive an answer. He looked back down at the kitchen worktop before him and grimaced at the mess he had made.

"Maybe we should pick some breakfast up on the way in!" He called as he backed away from the mess and into the living room.

"I know a nice little café just off Main Street, we could grab something there!" Cassie shouted back. To eat away the time, Shadow preceded to clear away the debris of the previous evening.

The smell of their Chinese takeaway still permeated the air and he began munching on the few remaining prawn crackers as he worked. By the time Cassie emerged washed and fully dress, Shadow had cleaned everything away and had straightened the room up. He chucked over her jacket which she caught with a smile.

"Shall we head out?" Shadow asked, jerking his head towards the door.

"Well I'm all ready, but what about you?"

"What about me?" Cassie smirked at him.

"I wanted to ask you when we first met but it would've been rude of me."

"Asked what?" Shadow snapped. Cassie frowned at his outburst.

"You do know you're walking around naked right? I mean bare furred blokes were all well and good a few years back, but come on! Gotta move with the times." Shadow gaped at her, his mouth moving but no sounds coming from it. "But we're wasting the morning, let's go Shadz."

She walked briskly to the door and opened it, looking back to see Shadow had yet to move an inch. "I've got your car keys by the way."

Shadow's eyes focussed on the jangling set she held between two fingers before she disappeared through the open door. After a few moments of stunned silence Shadow's brain finally caught up with events.

"No-one complained before!" He gave chase, slamming the door closed behind him. "And I'm driving!"

"So you've never had a girlfriend?" Cassie asked in disbelief as she stared at him over a large stack of pancakes. Shadow shrugged and sipped at his coffee.

"I've never seen the reason to."

"Uh huh…" She sounded unconvinced. He sighed.

"Alright. Truth is, I lost someone very dear to me many years ago and since then, well…" He looked up from his plate of bacon, eggs and beans and into her hazel eyes. "I've tried not to build any strong… attachments to anyone."

"This persons name wasn't Maria by any chance, was it?" She asked cautiously. Shadow froze at Maria's name and stared at the lavender hedgehog sat opposite.

"How do you know that name?" His voice was low and dark, making Cassie feel slightly uncomfortable. She shifted under his stare like she had been caught in a lie or forging paperwork.

"When you vanished, leaving me on top of that building, I went to Amy to get to know you better. She told me." Shadow raised an eyebrow but said nothing, and after a moment Cassie continued.

"You see, I've read all the reports and files on you that I could get, and even then a lot of them were smothered in black ink. And I wanted to find out more about the real you, from people who know and trust you."

"So you went to talk to Amy."

"It was Knuckles' idea." She said quickly. "But I though it was a good one."

"So what did you learn?" Shadow asked after a moment of silence. Cassie looked away and gnawed at her lip.

"Not much about you, but a lot about me." She looked into his crimson eyes and Shadow realised immediately what she meant, all feelings of distrust and anger vanishing like they had never been there.

"Cassie, I think you're great." He said slowly. "But I don't know how these things work."

He looked down at his almost empty plate and sighed.

"Maria was my closest friend, and I failed her. We lived onboard the ARK Space Colony, the only place where Maria could live with her disease." Although Cassie had read about this, she kept quiet and let him tell her in his own words.

"I was created by merging the DNA of a chaos touched hedgehog and the blood of Black Doom, using the power of a Chaos Emerald as a catalyst. I was brought into being to help Dr. Gerald Robotnik find a cure for Maria. We were so close…"

Cassie reached across the table and gently laid her hand on his. Shadow smiled at her gentle caress, a warm comforting feeling flowing up from where their hands met.

"I know Shadow, and I'm so sorry."

"You don't have to be, but thank you." Cassie smiled and went back to her tower of pancakes, happy in the knowledge that they had reached something of an understanding. Shadow watched as she ate, taking the occasional sip from his coffee. His thoughts trailed back to those final moments onboard the ARK.

"So I was thinking." Shadow shook himself out of his memories and looked over at Cassie, who was dabbing her mouth with a napkin. "With the guys we caught from the body heist, we should be able to get some Intel on who's behind all this."

Shadow rubbed at his chin in thought. "Agreed. We have little else to go on in any case."

"Next stop, headquarters." She waved over a waitress and singled for the bill. Shadow smirked and fished his wallet from his quills. "Oh no! You paid for the Chinese last night, I'll pay for breakfast."

"If you insist."

* * *

Her heart was pounding with both excitement and trepidation as she led her small scout force across the rickety wooden bridge.

Shade had chosen five of the best scouts of the Nocturn military to accompany her into Mobius. Each one had sworn loyalty to her and pledged to follow her every command during this mission. The plan was simple. Scout the immediate area and report back any significant findings before venturing further afield into this new world.

Each Scout wore the lighter armour of the Nocturnus military, built for speed and stealth, not durability. Each Scout was armed with a basic hand-blaster and combat blade and unlike the other warriors of Nocturn, bore no glowing marks which would give them away.

She signalled her troop to split up and secure the area with swift curt hand gestures. Until she was sure they were secure, Shade had ordered radio silence. As the echidnas spread out along the cliff edge, she scanned the area through her helmet.

No visible signs of intelligent life except for a couple of cave entrances running into the darkness beyond. She looked back over the bridge, once again marvelled by the view of the ocean and the feel of the breeze. She took a deep breath and turned away, signalling her scouts to form up she led them into the depths of one of the caves.

After several minutes they emerged from the cave system at a large opening in the cliff side. A small set of stairs had been fashioned out of the rocks that had fallen a few years ago.

Blinking in the rising sun, Shade's eyes took in all they could see. A wide expanse cut into the mountain. The first thing that she saw was the large stone built train bridge that cut across the area in great arches. A sturdily constructed wooden platform extended up the side to provide access to the tracks. A few small wooden shacks were scattered across the expanse, including a larger, more modern house near the edge of the cliff.

Stepping cautiously down the steps, Shade sent her team to scout of the area and to ascertain whether any threat was nearby. She guided her feet towards the large, majestic waterfall that tumbled glistening into the basin below.

Standing at the edge of the basin, Shade touched the symbol of her helmet and it retracted. Instantly she felt the cool wind on her face and the misty specks of moisture that rose from the waterfall. She closed her eyes and stood their in a feeling of total bliss and calm.

"Area secure." Crackled the voice of her second in command, the Veteran Scout Tilus, over her wrist communicator. She looked over to where the Scout Master stood, at the top of the wooden platform next to the stone construct.

"Thank you Tilus." She responded simply.

"Most of these building serve little use other than shelter, although the one at the cliff side is obviously more advanced, I'd suggest we take a closer look." Shade began walking towards the modern looking building.

"There seems to be tracks running the length of this construct, heading deep into the mountains." Tilus continued as she made her way underneath one of the broad arches. "It also appears to be the only way out of this area."

"Very good, Tilus. I want you to gather the Scouts together and meet me at the building at the cliff edge."

"Understood."

Shade started climbing the long stone staircase, her boots scraping dirt and grit away with each step. As she reached the top she paused to marvel at the view. The blue ocean spread out before her, the sound of the lapping waves distant and serene, the call of birds as they swooped by and the sound of the wind.

Hurried footsteps behind her heralded the arrival of the Scouts. She pointed at two.

"You two, check the building. The rest of you, survey the area." Orders given, Shade turned and walked a few paces away before activating her communicator. "This is High Praetorian Shade calling Nocturn."

"Affirmative High Praetorian, we have you. What is your report?"

"We have reached a large area on the other side of the mountain range. It is sparsely populated; we are yet to encounter any locals. We have however located a travel hub, akin to that of the Kron mining tracks. We'll follow these tracks to see where they lead."

"Received and understood High Praetorian. We await your next report." With that, Shade deactivated her communicator and looked out over the blue ocean.

* * *

Imperator Pir'Oth Ix picked up his golden cane and left his study. Since meeting with the intruder he had been working on a number of designs and plans. He had contacted the inventor and medical genius Doctor Zachary, who had been thrilled at the opportunity to examine a Mobian echidna.

As the Imperator strode along the corridors towards the dungeons, other Nocturnus echidnas scrambled out of his way. The Imperator was both respected and feared by his people. They knew he was prepared to do anything to ensure their survival, but it was that cold determination that brought shivers to all but the most strong willed.

He stopped in his stride at the top of the long flight of cold stone steps into the bowls of Nocturn and waited. He didn't have to wait long, as a nearby wall opened up and through it stepped the aging echidna scientist Doctor Zachary.

In his youth, Doctor Zachary had been a strong and capable warrior, and despite the ridicule and distrust his distinctive white fur brought him, he quickly and mercilessly defeated any and all opponents. But behind this once great warrior was a truly brilliant scientific mind. It was him who created the Gizoids, and with some aid he also perfected the process of cybernetic enhancements and replacements.

He wore nothing to hide the albino pigmentation of his fur, except for a golden pendent around his neck, a pair of golden bracelets and purple and gold boots.

"I am eager to see this new echidna, and to find out what has got you so fascinated with him." Said the elderly Doctor, a strange gleam in his purple eyes.

"Then let us not waist time, Zachary. Come." Pir'Oth Ix led the way down the stair, the Doctor a few paces behind.

As they disappeared from view, Julie-Su frowned, the obvious question of what they were up to flooding her mind.

* * *

**First steps all round!  
And three guesses where Shade and the Scouts might be heading.**

**What's in store for Knuckles?  
How will the world react to the arrival of the echidnas?  
And can I actually get Shadow and Cassie to solve the case that started this fic in the first place?  
****Your guess is as good as mine.**

**In other news, to all those who read FntS: Rise of the Daemon, this weekend heralds the publishing of my new story FntS: Forlorn's Duty.  
Check it out and follow the journey of the last Forlorn as he steps out into the unknown.**

**Shameless advertising over.  
This is Corrupt TE.  
See you on the flip-side.**


	27. Skin deep

**Alright next chapter!  
Sorry about the slight delay, I've had a six day working week!  
Ugh! But still I've got it done.**

**Standard deal. Read and enjoy.**

* * *

Shadow sat down in his rarely used office chair and booted up his computer. Cassie had advised him to read up on their findings while she filed away her paperwork, including Knuckles' hiring form.

He was slowly getting used to no longer having the luxuries that came with being the top Agent. For one thing he never had to do any research or write any reports, that was all done for him by someone else. It dawned on him that Cassie might have been one of those other Agents who provided him with the intelligence for his missions and with a frown; he decided to thank the people who give him any information in the future.

As he read through the various files and emails he had received, he couldn't help but have his mind wander, conjuring up thoughts and images of that lavender hedgehog who had somehow broken through his emotional barrier.

He enjoyed her company immensely, the casual conversations they shared, the way she acted, always so confident and sure of what she was doing, a trait she shared with Sonic but to a much lesser degree. She also had drive, like she wanted to prove herself by doing the best she could at all times. Shadow understood how that felt. When he had first joined GUN he worked hard to prove himself to be a talented and resourceful Agent who didn't need help from anybody.

There was a knock at the door and he looked up from the screen. Another Agent entered with a file in their hands.

"What is it?" Shadow demanded, perhaps a little harsher than he meant but regardless, he had put up his 'Do not disturb' sign for a reason.

"Sorry Sir, but I've got the latest autopsy report from Dr. Gracian." Shadow raised an inquiring eyebrow and accepted the folder without a word and the Agent left quickly. Shadow flicked it open and began skim reading the contents. His eyes halted and he reread the description of the autopsy subject.

"Green Rabbit…" He mumbled, casting his thoughts back to all those involved in the case so far. His eyes widened in realisation and he snatched up his office phone.

"Cassie, head down to the morgue, I'll meet you there." He said quickly when he heard her voice answer.

"Shadow, what…"

"Dr. Gracian has something to show us." He put the phone down and stalked out of his office.

Cassie caught up with him just outside the elevator and gave him a questioning look.

"I'm not gonna like what Gracian tells us am I." She said as the metallic box rumbled their decent.

"Most likely not." Shadow growled in return.

-0-

As they walked into the morgue Shadow frowned, he was so used to seeing Sheba either snoozing on an operating table or hard at work on the latest cadaver that the sight of an aging grey furred goat, wearing a pair of half-moon glasses and writing down his notes seemed far too out of place. He looked up and peered at them over his glasses.

"Can I help you?" His voice was tinged with annoyance and his tone reminded Cassie of her old school science teacher.

"I'm Agent Shadow and this is my partner, Agent Rahna. We want to, discuss on the green rabbit, Paul Metha'as." Replied Shadow curtly.

"Did you not get my report Agent Shadow?" The bearded goat snorted.

"Let's just call this professional curiosity." Shadow was doing his best to remain calm but Cassie could see the subtle signs of his rising anger. The Dr. must have picked up on this as well, as he grunted and walked over to the collection of chilled wall containers and pulled one open, pulling out the body of a green rabbit.

"Paul Metha'as, male rabbit, green fur, between twenty-nine and thirty-three years old. Found dead in his cell this morning having, bitten through his own wrists." Dr. Gracian listed as he uncovered the corpse. Cassie cringed slightly upon seeing the torn flesh of his wrists.

"Lovely…" She muttered. Shadow peered closer.

"Although I have never seen a suicide quite like this one, it is a clear and simple deduction." The Dr. sounded smug as he looked down at the deceased rabbit. "Of course all of my findings have been recorded and written down in my report, so your being here undermines my authority on this matter!"

"This case has been anything but 'clear and simple'." Shadow growled, his keen eyesight noticing something on the rabbits wrist. He leaned closer, eyes focussing on the slight variation in fur colouring.

"You'll contaminate evidence if you're not careful!" Snapped the pathologist, receiving a glare from both hedgehogs in reply. Shadow gestured at Cassie.

"Have a look here Cassie, see anything odd?" Cassie followed Shadow's example and stared at the rendered flesh, finally picking up on the same strange difference her partner had seen. She turned her head to look at it from a different angle.

"Maybe. If we could clean this area up a bit, we might be able to get a clearer look." She looked up at the goat in the white lab coat. "Dr. Gracian, could you perhaps-"

"This is outrageous! First you doubt my analysis and now you make demands of me? Get out! Both of you, now!" Shadow turned suddenly on the old man and grabbed him by the front of his coat.

"Now you listen to me doctor." His voice was low and threatening. "My patients' is wearing thin. Now you do as she says before I really get angry!"

"Fine!" Grunted the doctor as he shook himself from the hedgehogs grasp. He wandered off to collect cleaning fluid, muttering under his breath as he went. Shadow and Cassie stepped away from the body and waited.

"I miss Sheba." Shadow admitted, folding his arms.

"You do know I could've got him do that." Cassie noted copying Shadow's stance while Dr. Gracian worked. Shadow grinned and looked sidelong at her.

"Somehow I doubt that."

"Oh really?" She looked at him with an evil glint in her eyes. "I'll have you know, it's the cute and charming ones you need to look out for. No-one suspects them, especially when they're with someone all dark and moody."

All Shadow did in reply was roll his eyes and shake his head but the smile on his face was clear. Cassie's smile faded as they turned back to the working doctor.

"There goes one lead." Shadow grunted in agreement. "But it doesn't make sense. Suicide after two days in a cell? And just after a visit from his sister as well."

"What did you say?"

"I read a file about Paul Metha'as having a visit from two people, his sister and her lawyer a few hours before he was found dead in his cell." Shadow rubbed his chin in thought.

"Weren't their any guards to his cell block?" Cassie shook her head with a frown.

"The timing coincides with your secret mission and the attack on Mobotropolis." She explained.

"What attack?" Shadow asked quickly. Cassie stared at him.

"Don't you ever keep on top of what's going on?" Shadow looked down sheepishly.

"Only when it concerns me or Rouge."

"What about Miles Prower? You're friends with him too, right?" His ears perked up and he looked at her.

"What happened to him? No wait. Don't tell me. Let's just focus on here and now, I'll read the report later." Cassie smiled.

"I'll get a copy for you." They both turned back to see Dr. Gracian stand up and stretch his back.

"There! I hope you cretins appreciate this." Shadow's eyes narrowed and his fists clenched.

"What did you just call us?" He roared. He was about to hurl a Chaos bolt at the aggravating doctor when he felt Cassie's hand on his arm.

"I'll handle this Shadow." She said calmly before walking up to Gracian. Shadow could hardly hear what she was saying, but the aging goat went rather pale, gulped and swiftly excited the room. Cassie stood by the table and Shadow joined her, a proud and somewhat smug smile was on her face.

"Told ya."

"This isn't a contest." He replied through a grin.

"Aww, spoil-sport." She pouted, sticking her tongue out.

Shadow smirked at her jovial behaviour and turned his gaze to the now clean wrist. Cassie stood to the side, not wanting to get in the eboney hedgehogs way.

"What does that look like to you?" He asked after a moment, stepping aside to give her some space. Cassie looked closely, trying to ignore the jagged rips to the rabbits' wrist and studied the mark.

"Is that part of a tattoo?" She mused aloud. "I t looks like, part of a claw."

"And I'm certain I've seen it before." Shadow said darkly. "Get the case file and meet me in the car park as soon as you can."

"Where're we going?" The lavender hedgehog asked.

"Station Square general, we've got some friends to visit."

* * *

Knuckles sat cross-legged, his eyes closed and hands resting on his knees, his back to the bars of his cell. His heart rate was slow and calm, his breathing shallow and controlled. Nothing but the dull rumbling from the depths of the fortress could be heard and so the approaching footsteps were like great explosions of sound the focussed Guardian.

"So this is the intruder?" A voice sounded wistfully from behind him. Knuckles chose to ignore the comment and keep up his meditative state.

"Indeed." The Guardian recognised the voice of Imperator Ix and internally growled at his presence. "He is yet to give us his name and he is just as stubborn Kron."

The other voice chuckled with little humour. "You said High Praetorian Shade captured him with no resistance."

"Indeed she did. Which is curious in itself, he looks more than capable of defending himself." Knuckles' expression twitched slightly but he quickly regained himself. Neither spoke for a while as they studied the silent Guardian sitting in the cell.

"I believe it is time to test a theory." Said the Imperator, a sinister note in his voice. Before Knuckles could even contemplate the meaning of his words he was struck by a powerful energy beam that was fired from the head of Imperator Pir'Oth Ix's golden staff. He cried out in pain and slumped onto his side breathing heavily.

"Remarkable! His body dissipated the majority of the energy; any other being would have been fried!" Said the other gleefully.

"I want him studied Zachery. Find the extent of his powers and perhaps that'll lead us to what is rightfully ours!"

Cringing at the searing pain of his back, Knuckles glanced up from the floor at the two albino echidnas outside his cell. With an enraged growl he leapt from his prone position at the bars. The moment his hands wrapped around the cold metal a powerful electrical current surged through him and he was thrown back.

"Tsk, such a temper." The one call Zachery said in a mocking tone. He turned to the Imperator. "I think this'll be fun."

Over the course of the next few hours, Dr. Zachary performed test after agonising test on their prisoner under the watchful gaze of Pir'Oth Ix. They plagued Knuckles with questions, about who he was, where he had come from, what they could expect from the outside world. Questions he answered only with a scowl.

Knuckles slumped to the floor after the latest 'test'. Patches of his fur blackened, his breath came in gasps and pain racked through his entire body. But still he refused to talk.

"This is getting us nowhere!" Imperator Ix growled angrily, turning on his counterpart with barely held rage. "That's enough for today Zachary! Perhaps tomorrow he'll be more talkative."

He strode from the cell block, his cloak swishing along the floor behind him. Doctor Zachary looked down at the echidna curled up behind the bars and shook his head.

"Stubbornness will only get you killed. Cooperate and you may yet prove useful."

"Go to hell!" Knuckles grunted through the pain. Zachary was at first taken aback but a sinister smile swiftly overcame his surprise.

"Oh, but I've already been there." He answered with a sneer. "I think we're going to enjoy our time together, don't you?"

The albino echidna degraded into maniacal laughter as he left, leaving the Guardian alone in the cold, dank cell. Knuckles curled tightly on the floor. He needed to get the Master Emerald somewhere safe, away from these madmen.

Tikal had been with him throughout his torture, giving him strength and courage against the pain and suffering he had to endure, but there was only so much she could do.

Julie-Su waited a good ten minutes after the two albino echidna's had left before she ventured down into the prison block. She had her weapon drawn and switched to the stun setting. She knew full well that if she were caught down here she could face imprisonment herself, or worse. She kept her footsteps light and her breathing shallow as she descended the black stone steps.

Upon reaching the bottom she pressed her back to the wall holding her photon blaster at the ready. She turned the corner, levelling her weapon as she went, expecting to see Gizoids or at least a guard. She blinked a couple of times and it took her a moment to come to terms that there was no-one guarding the prisoner.

The prisoner himself was curled up on the floor, his back towards her. She walked over to his barred cell quickly, scanning the corners of the room as she went, tracking with the barrel of her gun. She knelt down in front of his cell and gazed at the Guardian.

"Knuckles?" She whispered tensely. When he didn't move she reach a hand towards him, snatching it back when her gloved fingers sparked against the invisible barrier. She bit her lip.

"Knuckles!" She said more urgently. This time he stirred. Slowly he pushed himself up from the floor and sat down half turned away. Julie-Su noticed the scorch marks upon his fur, recognising them as energy burns from a beam weapon.

"Knuckles, are you alright?" He turned his head to face her, recognition slowly dawning on his face.

"You're Shade's sister, Julie-Su right?" She nodded.

"That's right. Sh- she asked me to look out for you."

"Why?" Knuckles barked, causing Julie-Su to flinch back.

"She's worried about you! You wouldn't have noticed but she acted differently to you than she does with anyone else!" Knuckles was taken aback by the pink echidna's sudden outburst. "And I look out for my sister and would do anything to help her, so don't question why!"

Knuckles looked down in shame. Once again he had jumped to the wrong conclusion and let his temper get the better of him. "I'm sorry Julie-Su. But why would Shade want you to look out for me?"

"She likes you." Julie-Su answered simply. "You're the first echidna she's ever met who didn't treat her as just another Nocturn. She's always felt out of place here, like a lot of us…"

Julie-Su laid her gun on the ground and sat down, drawing her knees to her chest. Knuckles turned his body to face her and waited for her to continue. "We're not all megalomaniacs like Dr. Zachary or Lien-Da. Some of us, most of us just want a place to call home."

"Well, you're home now right? So what's to stop you from leaving the island and finding a new place to live?" Julie-Su smiled sadly.

"It's not that easy Knuckles. For nearly two hundred years we've lived in the Twilight Cage. The Procurator and Imperator have ingrained the need to fight for survival so deeply that it'll take much more than simply coming home to remove it." Her voice was heavy with sorrow and regret. "There might be some willing to leave, and I know that the Brotherhood have always been trying to persuade us to join them but…"

"Who are the Brotherhood?" Julie-Su looked at him, a slight hint of surprise in her eyes.

"You truly aren't from here, are you?" Knuckles shook his head.

"No I'm not." The pink furred echidna licked her dry lips before answering his question.

"The Brother of Guardians are a small clan who live in and around the stone pyramid on the other side of the island. They follow more traditional methods of survival, shunning most of the technology of the Nocturn in favour of their own ingenuity. While we have survived, their numbers have dwindled. And although they oppose the ideals of the Nocturnus, they embrace those who come to them and are a fearful force to be reckoned with."

Knuckles leaned back on one of his arms and looked down at the floor in thought.

"And I'm thinking you're a lot like them. And it's that individuality that, stubbornness to bow down, which Shade finds so…" She trailed off, not wanting to over step the mark.

Knuckles rubbed at a burn mark on his leg, an idea slowly forming in his mind.

"Perhaps you could do something for me." Julie-Su looked at him, unsure where this might be heading. "Can you contact the Brotherhood and ask for their help? I can't stay here, I need to…"

He stopped himself before he could tell her about the secret he kept hidden. "It's very important that I get out of here as soon as possible. Can you do that for me?"

He looked deeply into her eyes, pleading, hoping that she would help him.

After a long moment of silence she finally nodded her head. It was such a slight movement but it sent a wave of relief flooding over the crimson echidna.

"Thank you Julie-Su."

"It'll take some time, but I'll do what I can."

"You might also want to contact a few friends of mine. They may be an odd bunch but they've helped me out on a number of occasions." Knuckles reached into his dreadlocks and pulled out a small booklet in which he kept all the contact details of his friends and allies and flicked it open.

Julie-Su activated her wrist device and typed in what he listed to her. Questions surged through her mind but she did what she was asked, and once Knuckles stowed the booklet away she stood up, retrieving her weapon as she did.

"Are you sure they'll be able to help?" She asked. Knuckles grinned.

"Trust me, once they get going, nothing can stop the Chaotix."

* * *

**Yes the Chaotix. If this story didn't need more characters...**

**Anyway, still got some ideas to keep this going but I'm already planning a sequal.  
Yes, you can't get rid of me that easily.**

**Next update might be late. Just FYI.**

**Till next time.  
-Corrupt TE-**


	28. Building Bridges

**Ah, the joys of updating a story on time.**

**Anyway, latest chapter of FntS and I seem to be lacking in anything amusing to say...  
That being the case, just read and enjoy.**

* * *

The city streets went by in a blur as they drove through towards the hospital. Cassie was sitting in the passenger seat flicking through the case file and a few other folders she had picked up before meeting Shadow.

"You're right, that does look very similar." She said as she examined a trio of photographs of three different wrists. One was the wrist of the black Crow, their first corpse in this investigation; the second was that of the torn wrist of the green Rabbit Paul Metha'as, although neither Agent believed that was his real name. The third was a photograph of a deceased Mongoose John Doe who Shadow had killed during the theft of the Crow. "And if my guess is right, all three of these guys were part of the same cult."

Shadow reached over and took the pictures from her hands, glancing down at them when he was driving on a clear straight. He frowned. "I've never heard of a cult like this before."

"Me neither." Cassie admitted. "Eyes on the road Shadow!"

"Whoa!" He twitched the steering wheel to dodge another driver who had decided to pull into their lane without checking their mirrors.

"Watch it you moron!" Cassie yelled at the offending driver.

"You know he can't hear you right?" Said Shadow, rubbing his ringing ear. Cassie folded her arms and leaned back in her seat.

"I know, but it makes me feel better."

"Can we get back to the case?" He asked, handing back the pictures. Cassie slid them back into the folder and drew out a sheet of paper.

"I took the liberty of running a search through the image archives for similar tattoos or markings in other cases, and a few popped up from a case six years ago." Shadow raised an eyebrow and looked sidelong at her. "You weren't around, I know and I wasn't even in the Army back then, but it was all over the news."

She handed the file to Shadow. "It was called 'The Assassins Dance'. For three months bodies were appearing everywhere, killed by either gunshot or knife. The thing that made it so newsworthy was that every victim was a John or Jane Doe. Very few records of the victims were ever found."

"Was anyone arrested during the investigation?" Shadow asked, skim reading the file resting on the steering wheel.

"Well yeah. Loads of people were arrested but no-one was charged. It's one of the black marks in GUN history."

"Only one?" Shadow scoffed.

"I know you've got something of a bad history with GUN, but you can't fault the fact that we do everything we can to protect the people." Shadow opened his mouth to object but Cassie waved him down. "I also know that GUN has had shady dealings and operations in the past, and for all I know the higher ups could be in the middle of something just as dark and sinister. But for all the bad press GUN gets, we do what the Police and the Army aren't capable of."

"Maybe, but on that note though, there's a lot of regulations we have to watch out for." Shadow noted, adding his own foresight to the conversation.

"True. When I was in the forces I didn't have to worry about as much red tape, but at the same time I didn't have as much freedom to interpret my orders. At least with GUN I can get things done my way." Shadow chuckled at her words.

"I can relate to that. You're given a mission and told to get it done, any way necessary." Cassie laughed lightly.

"Yeah. Although I do sometimes wonder what things would've been like if I had stayed in the forces." She said solemnly.

"Well I for one am glad you joined GUN." Said Shadow as he handed back the file.

"Thanks Shadow. Coming from you, that means a lot." She replied with a smile.

"How did we get onto that train of thought anyway?" Shadow questioned, turning the car into the Hospital car park. Cassie laughed.

"I have no idea." She said jovially. Shadow grinned as he manoeuvred his vehicle between two parked cars. "Just another case to be solved I guess."

"Come on, I want to see what Rouge and Sheba make of this." They both walked through the doors and up to the reception desk. Even in these early hours of the day there were a fair number of people, human and anthro, waiting to be seen for their various ailments and injuries.

"Quiet day so far." Cassie mumbled to her partner, nodding her head in the direction of those waiting. Shadow stood before the receptionist and cleared his throat.

"Rouge the Bat and Sheba Keyes." He said a demanding tone in his voice. The Antelope sitting behind the computer raised his hand and continued typing at his computer. The two Agents looked at each other and Cassie leaned forward.

"Excuse me, but we're-"

"One minute." He interrupted, his eyes never leaving the computer screen. Shadow and Cassie looked at each other again, annoyance written on their faces. Simultaneously they pulled out their GUN badges and thrust them underneath the Antelope's nose. He stopped typing immediately, and stared wide eyed at their badges before looking up at them slightly fearfully.

"Agent Shadow and this is my partner Agent Rahna, where can we find Rouge the Bat and Sheba Keyes?"

After the initial rudeness of the Antelope had been overcome, he had in turn proved to be extremely helpful, giving them directions to the rooms of their friends and even offering to call an orderly to act as a guide, which they gratefully declined. As they stepped into the elevator and the doors slid closed behind them, Cassie broke into a broad grin.

"That was fun! I wonder what he's hiding." Shadow chuckled.

"Probably having an affair with one of the doctors." He said as the metal box began ascending.

"Aw, this one doesn't play music." Cassie commented, causing Shadow to snort in amusement.

* * *

Julie-Su jogged back through the Nocturn fortress in the direction of the military billets. She was intending to pick up a few things before heading out to find the Brotherhood of Guardians. Many thoughts were running through her mind as she went; how she was going to avoid the guards and if she couldn't, what excuse would she use to try and get past them? Should she contact her sister or should she wait until Knuckles was safe? She didn't want to put Shade at risk, but at the same time she had promised to call her should anything bad happen to Knuckles. She speed around a corner and slammed into someone, sending both of them to the floor.

She rubbed at her head and looked up at the person she had barged into her eyes widening in shock.

"High Praetorian Remington! Oh, please forgive me!" She cried, bowing her head in shame.

The brown furred echidna rubbed the small of his back and grimaced at the slight pain. He was wearing a dark green outfit with a black steel shoulder guard on his right shoulder, which had the green symbol of his rank etched into the metal and like many other Nocturn he had one of his dreadlocks enhanced with cybernetics. He looked at the offending echidna quizzically before breaking into a smile.

"Velite Julie-Su, where are you going in such a hurry?" He picked himself up and held out a hand to help her, which she accepted hesitantly. Remington was the young nephew of Procurator Lien-Da and the nephew of the Nocturnus clan leader, so Julie-Su naturally assumed that he had the same aggressive tendencies and foul disposition towards others.

"I'm sorry High Praetorian, I was returning to my billet. I left something important there." She answered quickly, looking down as she spoke, avoiding his eyes. Remington frowned.

"Please don't do that." Julie-Su looked up in surprise, an unsure expression on her face.

"I'm sorry?"

"And please, stop apologising. Just because I'm a High Praetorian doesn't mean I don't like casual conversations with others." His smile was friendly and his stance relaxed. "You're Shade's sister aren't you?"

Taken aback, it was a couple of moments before Julie-Su nodded. Remington rubbed the thickening fur of his chin.

"She's a very good warrior, but not very social. Very distant at times." He said thoughtfully. "You said you were heading towards your billet? Let me walk with you."

"But High Praetorian, I-" She was about to protest but was stopped by a raise hand.

"Please, call me Remington. You'll find I'm a bit different from my aunt." He half turned away and gestured down the corridor. Slowly Julie-Su began walking and he kept pace. "Whatever you forgot must be important to have you tearing around the fortress like that."

Julie-Su gnawed at her lower lip, unsure at how to proceed. She was walking with one of the highest ranked echidnas of her clan, an echidna many believed to be just as violent and short tempered as his aunt, but so far he had shown nothing of these traits.

"I've heard some good things about you Julie-Su." She looked at him and saw his smile. "Skilled in mechanics and one heck of a shot with that photon blaster."

Her gestured down at the weapon holstered at her hip. "You've modified it yourself haven't you? Twin-barrelled providing more firepower without loss to accuracy, correct?"

"Yes High Prae-" She noticed the look he gave her. "I mean, Remington. My sister tells me it's always a good thing to adapt and change."

Remington nodded his head. "And I agree. I was hoping that with our escape from the Twilight Cage, my father would command the Imperator and Lien-Da to allow soldiers to leave for a similar, non-militaristic life, but if anything, training sessions have become much more gruelling, disobedience is dealt with much more harshly and Dr. Zachary is churning out some very deadly looking weapons."

Julie-Su looked at the brown furred echidna beside her with a mixture of confusion and surprise. High Praetorian Remington, the son of Kragok, the leader of the Nocturnus clan, and one of the most skilled fighters in the entire military shared the same hopes and fears of her sister.

"You know, Shade thinks a lot like you do." She voiced her thoughts carefully. Remington looked at the pink echidna as they passed through an arch leading out into the military billets.

"Really? That would explain why she was always looking out for those under her charge." He said wishfully. "Ah, we appear to be here."

Julie-Su looked up to see they were outside her house. Remington turned to face her and smiled. "Thank you for walking with me Julie-Su, it has been a pleasure."

He bowed lightly to her and left, leaving her slightly baffled. She hurried into her home and quickly ran over to her cot. She pulled open a hidden compartment and dug around the various machines and contraptions she had build, looking for the special communicator she had created. With it she would be able to contact both her sister and all those on Knuckles' contact list.

"Aha! Found you!" She cried in triumph, emerging from the depth of the compartment holding a bulky device in her hands. She strapped it to her belt and kicked the compartment closed. As she dashed out she grabbed her long black cloak and slid her arms through the sleeves.

She jogged past other echidnas either coming or going from training sessions, guard duty or other jobs and headed towards one of the side entrances. With any luck she would be able to slip through without any trouble, and once she was far enough into the jungle, she would contact these Chaotix for Knuckles.

* * *

"Get back here you insect!" Espio the Chameleon, ninja, detective and hero for hire shook his head. Utilising his natural ability, he disappeared from sight and walked through the door and away from the madness.

Vector the Crocodile, leader of Team Chaotix and head of the Chaotix Detective Agency was currently chasing the youngest member around the flat which was the team's home and base of operations. The eccentric and continually hyper Charmy Bee had made one too many cracks about the Crocodile's taste in music and was now buzzing around their small home laughing his head off at Vector's attempts at catching him. Espio sighed as a crash and pained yelled followed him through the door.

He reappeared in the office and sat down in the large chair behind the only desk in the room. The desk and chair proved to be the only pieces of furniture in the entire office, and they were accompanied by an ancient, bulky computer which Charmy had 'salvaged' and an old rotary dial telephone which was older than any of them. He rubbed at his temple in an attempt to figure out how he had remained sane in the company of the others.

Just then the ancient telephone rang and he quickly picked it up before either Vector of Charmy heard it and began fighting over who would get to answer it. "Chaotix Detective Agency, how may we assist?"

"It actually worked!" Cried a distinctly feminine voice down the line. Espio slumped forwards on the desk.

"If this is a crank call, it is a very poor attempt." He moaned down the phone line, not bothering to cover up his annoyance.

"No no, I'm sorry. Is this um… Vector?" Another crash came from behind him and Espio groaned.

"No. You are speaking to the only one who gets things done around here." He growled.

"And who's that?"

"Espio. Now what is the meaning of your call?" He demanded.

"It's about Knuckles." Espio sat bolt upright.

"What about him?"

"He needs your help. My name's Julie-Su, and I need you to come to Angel Island as soon as you can. I'll meet you on the wooden bridge."

"How can I be sure this isn't a trick?" Espio questioned the caller.

"Please, you've got to believe me. I'll answer all your questions in person, just meet me at the bridge." The caller then disconnected, leaving the Chameleon to wonder whether to trust her or not.

* * *

Julie-Su attached the communicator to her belt once more and stood up from her hiding place amongst the bushes. She looked around for any signs that she was being followed and headed out in the direction of islands edge. From there she would be able to make her way around the island until she found the bridge Shade had told her about. She hoped that Espio would come and together they would find the Brotherhood of Guardians and then they would save Knuckles from his imprisonment. She set off with her hopes held high, finally feeling that she could make a difference.

* * *

**I hope I got the Chaotix across correctly. Did quite a bit of research on Espio and I really hope it came out alright.  
But enough about that.**

**What did you guys think?  
Should I just focus on Shadow and Cassie solving this case, or do you like my tangents to other characters?**

**Corrupt TE, outta here!**


	29. The room with Green Curtains

**Chapter 29.**

**Not much to say except I just couldn't get my head down with this one.  
Doesn't help when I'm packing up to move house, had to *grumble-mutter***

**Anyway! Ignore me and hope you enjoy. **

* * *

His eyes blinked bleary open and it was a few moments until his eyesight unblurred enough for him to take in his surroundings. His hearing was slowly returning and he began to make out faint bleeps and clicks and muffled footsteps and voices. He tried to move only for his body to be wracked with pain.

He looked around from his prone, yet elevated position to find himself in a strange light green, undecorated room with dark green pattern curtains drawn across a window that wasn't his. I fact, nothing in this room was his. Where was he?

Something moved in the corner of his eye and he strained his neck to see what it was, a red and pink bundle lying on top of an armchair. It moved again and he saw a face he recognised sleeping peacefully.

Wait… She was here, sleeping in the same strange room he was in, and what the hell was that beeping sound?

He tried to move his arm and felt an uncomfortable stinging sensation. He looked down and saw a thin plastic tube line sticking from his arm. His eyes followed the transparent tube to a clear plastic bag hanging from a metal pole, the contents of which were slowly dripping down the tube. He looked at his other arm and saw something similar, except that the stuff that dripped from the bag was a deep crimson.

He noticed that the beeping was getting faster and his eyes darted everywhere trying to find the source of the sound. His heavy breathing stung his chest and he winced with every breath.

Suddenly the door burst open and in surged three people, two dressed in blue and the other in a white long coat. Their voices sounded garbled as they raced around him, one reached towards him but he pulled away, and all the while that damned beeping kept getting faster.

"Sonic!" His name cut through the noise and his eyes sought out the speaker, recognising the voice immediately. Her emerald eyes glittered and she squeezed his hand gently. "It's alright Sonic."

He had no reason not to trust her and he began to calm down, although that infernal beeping still bit loudly in the gloom.

"Heart rate returning to normal parameters, pulse slowing. He's in the clear." Sonic's eyes never left hers as unseen hands worked around them.

"Push two more cc's to keep him stable."

"No!" Amy interjected, breaking their eye contact. "No, it's alright. Its fine, he's going to be fine."

She gazed back into the eyes that had captured her so long ago, tears glinting in the corners of hers and smiled sweetly. Sonic managed a painfully weak smile in return before fading back into unconsciousness.

-0-

Amy continued to stroke his had long after the two nurses and the attendant had left the room. The fear in his eyes had been so real, it had actually scared her. She thought nothing could scare him, but then again she had never before seen him get hurt before.

She stood and stretched with a yawn, mumbling about how uncomfortable the armchair was. She rubbed her eyes and wandered out of the room in search for something to cure her growling stomach.

The hospital was brighter than she remembered, with bright lights blaring, reflecting off the crisp white walls at all the wrong angles, making her squint as she walled, the green lino flooring squeaking underfoot.

Twice she had to sidestep a bed being hurriedly pushed along, and with all the twists and turns it wasn't long before she had to stop a nurse and ask for directions to the canteen.

She knew that Sonic would be well fed due to the time Vanilla had been admitted to have her appendix removed. Amy had looked after her best friend Cream during that time, but whenever they had visited, Vanilla was always provided with a good and healthy meal. The hospital staff had even been kind enough to bring Cream a children's meal as well, but Amy had to buy hers herself.

She walked down the long off-white corridor the nurse had pointed her down in hopes that she could find herself out of this maze.

"Amy?" The sakura hedgehog turned with a start to see two people she had never expected to see.

"Cassie? Shadow?" The two GUN Agents stepped out of the elevator and walked towards her. "What are you two doing here?"

"We're here to see Rouge and a friend from work." Shadow answered folding his arms. His expression seemed somewhat less moody to Amy. He was no longer frowning, and was that a glimmer of concern in his eyes?

"What about you Amy? Looks like you had a rough night." Amy sighed, Cassie's words ringing truer than possibly intended.

"I've been with Sonic all night." Shadow looked away for a moment.

"How is he?"

"He's…" Amy wasn't sure how to respond. She didn't know the medical jargon or how to properly describe Sonic's condition. "He's stable. That's what the doctor's say."

"That's good, isn't it?" Cassie said, glancing worriedly at her partner.

"Stable means he's not getting any worse. But also that he's not getting any better." Amy looked down at the floor, a feeling of hopelessness flooding through her.

"Come on, even I've heard of this Sonic guy. He doesn't go down easy and even when he does he's right back up and in the fight!" Cassie said, trying to lift the mood.

"Maybe so, but this time was different." Shadow looked away to make sure the two women didn't see the shame in his eyes. "And it was my fault."

"Oh will you two just stop mopping already!" Shadow and Amy both stared at Cassie, shock written on their faces. "Shadow, we're Agents. Amy, Sonic's a hero; getting hurt is an occupational hazard for us! Yes it's sad that our friends have been hospitalized for Chaos knows how long, of course we're gonna feel responsible, but that doesn't mean we should be beating ourselves up about it! We knuckle down and get on with our lives, adapting however we can!"

Cassie turned her gaze on the sakura hedgehog who suddenly felt very self conscious. "Amy, you told me that you love Sonic and always want to be by his side. While that's an admirable trait, don't you think it destroys the point of such a relationship if you can't handle him getting hurt? He's gonna keep adventuring and fighting evil, he might even get hurt again but that's just who he is! And Shadow, why do you keep piling all the blame on yourself?"

Now it was his turn to squirm under Cassie's unrelenting glare. "You may be the Ultimate Lifeform, but that doesn't mean you're responsible for everything that goes wrong! Sometimes life sucks and you lose those you care about, sometimes fate roles you a bad set of dice, but that shouldn't stop us! Get you stuff together, please! If not for yourselves then for the ones you care about!"

In the silence that followed, Shadow and Amy shared a moment of realisation. They looked at each other and then back a Cassie, who was still breathing heavily after her outburst. Amy suddenly stepped up and gave Cassie a firm hug. "Oh for…"

"Thank you Cassie."

"Uh… no problem." Amy let go and Cassie looked over at Shadow who was grinning. She smiled.

"What?"

"Oh nothing, it's just you never hold back do you. Kinda makes you wonder why you were stuck at a desk job for so long." She grinned at that comment.

"I speak my mind; the higher ups don't like that."

"I'll bet."

"I'm sorry to break up this thing between you guys, but I haven't had breakfast yet and I'm still trying to find the canteen." As if on queue Amy's stomach growled loudly enough to cause Cassie to burst into laughter.

"I'd say." She commented after her small bout of amusement. "Shadow, I'll take Amy to satisfy that monster of a stomach of hers, why don't you have a chat with Sheba and find out what she knows, I'll catch up outside Rouge's room."

Shadow smiled and shook his head. "Alright, have fun and I'll see you later."

With a wave he turned and marched down the corridor and disappeared around the corner. Cassie turned to Amy with a grin.

"Alright, let's go." She grabbed Amy's arm and began leading her with conviction.

"Shouldn't you be-"

"Shadow doesn't need me to hold his hand, although I doubt he'd mind." Cassie said wistfully. "That said you and I have a lot to talk about."

-0-

Shadow knocked the door and entered. Sheba looked up from the medical journal she was reading and smiled.

"Shadow, nice of you to pop by." She placed the journal on her bedside table and sat herself up. "Please tell me you brought something better than grapes this time."

"What do you think of this?" Shadow grinned as he handed the file over to the ginger feline. She flicked through the papers, her eyes swiftly scanning over the information that was there, hovering over a certain word or focussing on a little detail within the photographs.

"Bloody Gracian, can't believe he missed that…" She mumbled after hearing Shadow's explanation of why he was there. Sheba flipped the papers onto the end of her hospital bed and looked at the hedgehog. "Now you're wishing you had me back, right?"

Shadow grunted his agreement and she grinned. "So Cassie thinks this might have something to do with the 'Assassins Dance' a few years back, eh? Can see how she would, smart girl that one."

"The three bodies we have in the morgue all have the same tattoo." Shadow said as Sheba looked back over the pictures. "All three are connected to this 'Assassins Dance' in some way but how, I couldn't care less. I want to find out who killed that bloody black crow and throw him in a cell to rot!"

"But something tells me it's not gonna be as easy as that." Sheba quipped back with a smirk. Shadow rolled his eyes.

"It hasn't been easy! Every time we find something useful, something happens to throw us off track! It's like we're being watched, and I don't like being screwed with." The ebony hedgehog growled as his eyes narrowed.

"You say that now… Where is Cassie anyway?" Shadow was caught on the back foot and fumbled for a comeback.

"What do you mean?" He managed after he had stopped spouting gibberish.

"Oh come on Shadow! You really think it's not obvious?" Shadow didn't like where this conversation was going, but with Sheba there were very few ways to get her to change the track of her thoughts.

"I… She… ran into a friend and they're umm, getting something to eat."

"Come on, tell what's going on between you two and don't spare on the details." She said, leaning further forward and grinning evilly.

"You really like watching me squirm don't you." Sheba cocked her head.

"Am I that obvious?" Shadow rubbed his face and sighed in defeat.

"All right, but afterwards you're going to tell me what you think of all this."

"Deal."

-0-

"Shadow actually asked you to stay the night?" Cassie nonchalantly shrugged in answer to Amy's question. The sakura furred hedgehog leaned back in the uncomfortable plastic chair. "Wow! That's the first time I've ever heard Shadow even invite someone home."

"It was really late at night and, well…" Amy leaned on the table between them her eyes suddenly sparkling with interest.

"Did what? Come on don't leave me in the dark!" Cassie's cheeks were beginning to redden.

"I kissed him ok, and it was only on the cheek!" She hid her face behind her hands.

"Was it a goodnight kiss?"

"No, it was before we went to his apartment." Cassie answered placing her hands back on the table.

"So what did you do at his place then?"

"You really are nosey, do you know that?" Amy nodded shamelessly and Cassie sighed. "We talked, ordered in Chinese and got to know each other better."

"Amy giggled and Cassie realised that what she just said could be taken out of context. "But not in that way!"

"I bet you wanted too though." Amy's smirk was infectious and despite her cheeks glowing, Cassie found herself grinning back.

"How old are you anyway Amy?"

"Seventeen, I turn eighteen in a few months."

"Pity. That means you can't join us for a night on the town this weekend." Cassie said with an evil grin. Amy's jaw dropped open.

"But that's not fair!" She folded her arms in a huff. "Can I ask why?"

"Shadow made the mistake of telling me he's never gotten drunk." Amy stifled a giggle and Cassie continued. "So the plan was, get a bunch of his friends together and go out on the town. That way not only do I get to know his friends, but I get to embarrass Shadow."

"You're evil."

"Do you want in?" The excited spark reappeared in Amy's eyes.

"Do I ever!"

* * *

**It occurs to me that I never actually said how much the Sonic characters had been aged by.  
Needless to say, to fit in with the content and plotline of FntS, all characters have been aged by three years, give or take.**

**Yes I am planning on doing the whole 'get Shadow drunk' shtick. It's just gotta be done.**

**Mostly character and relationship development in this chapter, but I swear, if you look closely you can see some plot developments as well.  
No?  
Well uhh...  
Look it's the Goodyear Blimp!  
*Scampers away***

**-Corrupt TE-**


	30. Paths that cross

**Finally I get some time to write!  
Sorry for the delay but real life is a right pain sometimes!**

**But who cares, new chapter!**

* * *

In rapid movements they dashed from cover to cover, keeping to the shadows and staying out of sight. It was getting increasingly difficult to remain undetected as the small infiltration force edged its way further into the city.

They had traversed the long tunnel carefully. Three times they had to dodge out of the way of oncoming trains. The first time that happened they almost lost Imrian, she had stood frozen to the spot until Tilus had pulled her out of the way, berating her on her foolishness and how she should have followed orders instead of just standing there. Shade was just happy that leave that dark, dank and dangerous tunnel with the same number of Scouts she had started with.

They had left the tracks as soon as they could and travelled through backstreets and alleyways of the city they had found themselves in. Shade wanted to find a safe area to broadcast their findings back to Command before they went much further.

Kalimbre, the Scout on point signalled them to halt and the entire Scouting party stopped in their tracks. More curt signals and they scattered into hiding, blending into the shadows and drawing their weapons. Shade made her way to the scout's side and he pointed ahead at a tall building surrounded by strange wheeled vehicles with flashing blue and red lights on the roofs. There were several strangely dressed people standing in the cover the vehicles provided, their backs turned to the echidnas and all pointing weapons towards the building.

"Looks like some sort of security force." The Scout muttered drawing his own weapon.

"Put that away." Shade ordered. "They're distracted, we sneak around. No need to cause an incident."

"At your command, High Praetorian." Kalimbre obeyed, holstering his blaster and slipping out into the next piece of cover just a bit further ahead. Shade looked back and signalled her squad to move up carefully. She wanted to avoid any unnecessary confrontation with the locals as possible.

Remaining out of sight as best as they could, Shade and her Scouts slipped past the preoccupied police force, headed down a nearby alleyway and into an abandoned building. She signalled to secure the perimeter and waved Tilus over. The Veteran Scout pointed at one of the others to check a set of doors before coming to the High Praetorian's side.

"Thoughts Tilus?" The head Scout removed his helmet, which unlike Shade's lacked the ability to fold in on itself, and held it in the crook of his arm. His fur was a deep shade of terracotta and his eyes were a dark brown. He bore a scar from a Zoah warrior running at a diagonal across his left cheek and halfway down his neck.

"This seems all too easy." He admitted. "We've come across no barriers, no psychic wards, and no automated defence systems. I'm not one to complain about our good fortune, but I am yet to see anything which could be a threat to us."

"I'm not sure. That security force had numbers, and we don't even know what sort of weaponry they posses." Shade countered.

"True, we are strangers to this world. I would suggest we attempt to make contact carefully and judge their reaction to our arrival."

"But that is contradictory of our orders!" Shade was surprised by the Scout's forwardness.

"Maybe so High Praetorian, but contact with these people is inevitable. Better to do so peacefully and on our terms than to stumble in blindly and possibly provoking them into violence." Shade was seeing the gruff Scout in a new light. She had seen him in combat and during battle as a fierce and unrelenting soldier who showed no mercy, she never expected him to be pushing for a peaceful solution.

Shade removed her own helmet and stretched. Looking around at her Scouts she noticed that many of them were flagging and their movements were sluggish.

"Is this area secure?" She asked Tilus without looking at him. The Veteran Scout spent a few moments speaking with the others before answering with a curt nod.

"Area secure. Losis has set up early warning systems by the entrances and Renaile is currently on lookout."

"Good, we rest here for now. Break out some rations and have the others get some rest." Tilus bowed and went to follow her orders, leaving Shade to wander over to one of the piles of scrap that littered the floor space. She knelt down and began sifting through the small pile, finding several small pieces of glass, a few crumpled metal cylinders with odd colourful designs on them, and several ragged and dirt encrusted strips of cloth.

"High Praetorian?" She looked up into the face of Imrian. She was the youngest of the Scouts and it showed on her features. Her light brown fur was always kept as smooth and presentable as possible and her seven dreadlocks were tied back to merge into one. Her helmet was hanging from a small hook on her belt and her light green eyes had a hint of worry shinning within them.

"What is it Imrian?" Shade stood up and dusted off her knees.

"I just wanted to thank you for this opportunity." Shade smiled inwardly but kept her facial expression neutral.

"I chose you out of all the other prospective Scouts because I know how skilled you are." Imrian was one of the Scouts who Shade already had command over, and thus she had better knowledge of her strengths and weaknesses.

"I realise that High Praetorian, but if this mission is a success I've been told that we might be granted promotions and further standing." That was the usual reward for successful missions, the higher the rank, the higher the standing, and the higher the standing, the better off a Nocturnus echidna would be.

"It is true that we may be rewarded as such, but I want you to remain focussed. Don't allow yourself to become blinded by incentive. Remember, a diamond Kron is much more dangerous than its stone kin."

"I- I understand High Praetorian." Imrian sighed and bowed her head.

"Imrian, I'm going to take a leaf out of High Praetorian Remington's book. My name is Shade, I'd appreciate it if you let the others know that rank doesn't matter." The young Scout smiled and left.

Shade watched as she joined the others and smiled. It was common knowledge throughout Nocturne that High Praetorian Shade chose to continue living in squallier with her sister than live high in the obsidian tower alone. That decision to not leave her sibling granted her huge respect from the common Nocturne soldier and her habit of not pushing her troops as hard or forcefully during combat or training meant that her troops would look out for her just as much, or even more so than she looked out for them. And this mission would be no different.

-0-

Tails grumbled quietly as he fiddled with the wiring of one of the castles anti-air weapon systems. The entire circuit board had been fried, and by the looks of things the combat systems hadn't seen any upgrades since he and Rotor had first installed them. What had started as a simple idea to help Sonic heal up faster had turning into a full blown mission.

"Hey!" Tails yelped and banged his head against the metal latch his back had been propping open. Emerging from the insides of the weapon, Tails glared at his interrupter. Sakura McCain stood a few paces away, grinning at what had just happened. In her hands were a pair of steaming mugs and she handed one over to the stricken fox.

"You know there are other engineers who can take care of this sort of thing right?" She said, taking a sip from her mug. Tails followed suite, finding the bitter liquid surprisingly refreshing.

"Yeah, but me and Rotor installed these, I want to make sure each works to full capacity and can continue to function under the worst of conditions. As such I'm installing a dampening field into each one and realigning the b-twelve power couplings to decrease the chance of electromagnetic interference again." He looked up at the crimson furred fox and frowned when he saw her blank expression. "Sorry, I keep forgetting that others don't really know what I'm talking about when it comes to tech."

Sakura snorted in amusement which confused the young genius.

"You know, I understood everything you said, I just wanted to see your expression." She said with a broad grin. When Tails raised a questioning eyebrow she smiled. "I graduated top of my class and next to Rotor, I'm the best engineer in the whole kingdom, so of course I can understand tech-speak."

She crouched down next to him and looked over his work. What he had done amazed her; it was much more complex than anything she or Rotor had wired together. Tails noticed that she had repaired her jacket as best she could, but it was now sleeveless and still had some stray treads dangling here and there.

"I know someone who could fix that for you." He said after a moment and she looked down at her jacket. She smiled sadly.

"You know, this jacket is the only thing I have to remember my parents." Tails' eyes widened and he sat up.

"I'm sorry Sakura." He said sincerely. She smiled at him, their eyes meeting.

"It's okay Tails. I'm not the only one Robotnik has hurt."

"I know what you mean." Tails admitted. "I never even knew my parents; I've always been an orphan, at least until Sonic turned up."

"Yeah, I've heard of him. Rotor talks about him all the time, the big time hero who fights the good fight and all that." She chuckled sadly. "Wish he could've…"

Tails gently laid his free hand on her shoulder. "I know. There are a lot of things that never should've happened, but they did. Now we just have to carry on and-"

"Pick up the pieces." Sakura finished.

A silence spread between them as they drank, enjoying the feel of the grass beneath them and the sky above. Sakura drained her mug and made to stand up and was quickly followed by Tails.

"Hey Sakura?" She turned to face him, a small relaxed smile on her face. "Once I'm finished here I was wondering if you'd like to meet up for something to eat."

"Yeah, I'd like that." She answered after a moment. She took the now empty mug from him, their fingers brushing lightly. "I'll see you later Fuzzy."

Tails grinned and watched her leave before diving back into the machinery with renewed vigour.

-0-

"Are ya sure you know where you're going Espio?" Charmy asked, buzzing around with barely contained hyperactivity.

"The directions were clear; we are to meet our contact on the bridge connecting Angel Island to mainland Mobius." The chameleon answered curtly.

"So we're supposed to trust this, Julie-Su? We've never even met her, and how can we be sure that she's telling the trust about Knuckles?" Vector said, adding his own thoughts to the bubbling pot of annoyance which plagued the stoic ninja.

"This case is much like any other we have taken. We have little too no prior knowledge of our employee, and must therefore take the initial information presented to us on faith."

"That's all well and good Espio, but we also don't make a habit of accepting cases without a reward."

"Yeah! How else can I buy new drum sticks?" Charmy cried.

"You even think about getting a new drum set and I'll hide all the sugar!" Vector threatened, glaring at the bumble bee hovering next to him.

"No! The sugar is innocent!" Wailed the young aviator, dodging the crocodile's answering swipe.

Espio sighed and strode ahead; mainly to keep a distance between him and the two trouble makers he had the misfortune to call friends. As the trio stepped out of the tunnel into the midday sunlight they blinked wide eyed at the sight before them.

"I don't remember the island being that big!" Charmy explained, voicing the thought that ran in their minds.

"You're telling me." They all turned in surprise to face the direction the new and yet strangely familiar voice had come from. Stepping out from behind a small pile of rocks was a black furred armadillo with the large red flexible natural armour of his species running from the top of his head all the way down his back. His black eyes sparkled and he was wearing a small friendly smile on his face.

"Mighty!" Screamed Charmy before dive-bombing the armadillo, who sidestepped the eccentric bee at the last moment, making him crash into the ground.

"Hello Charmy." He said, grinning broadly. The other Chaotix walked up to their old friend and greeted him with kind words and shakes to the hand.

"So what brings you here Mighty?" Asked Vector as they slowly walked across the wooden bridge.

"I got a call earlier today about Knuckles being in danger; of course I had to come here." Espio rubbed his chin in thought.

"A similar phone call has brought us here as well; it is possible that the same caller has brought us here for similar purpose." The chameleon said, trying to sum up the facts.

"Ooo, long words…" Complained the bee holding his head, he giggled at the mixture of stares and glares he received.

"We don't speculate until we have all the facts Espio, you know that." Vector said, calling a stop to Espio's method of deduction.

"I dunno Vector, sounds logical to me." Mighty came to his old friend and sparing partners defence. The crocodile grumbled slightly but let it go.

As they reached the end of the bridge the small group looked around for their contact, the mysterious Julie-Su.

"Well it doesn't look like she's here so let's go home!" Charmy stated after a few seconds. Vector grabbed the bumble bee by his stinger and held the youth upside-down.

"I'm the leader; I say when it's time to go home!" The crocodile growled. Mighty looked sidelong at Espio and grinned when the chameleon rolled his eyes. The two old friends walked a few paces aware from the bickering pair and looked at the two towers that thrust from the jungle canopy.

"I remember living here with Knuckles and it certainly lacked those two things." Said the armadillo pointing at the buildings in the distance.

"Agreed, something has occurred to bring them here, but what and why is something we should-" Espio stopped suddenly, his eyes narrowing.

"What is it?" Mighty asked quietly, crouching into a combat stance. The bickering from Vector and Charmy ceased and they both jogged up to join them. Espio flicked his wrist and grabbed the kunai which slid from his bulky cuffs between his fingers, ready to throw it with deadly accuracy.

"You can lower you weapons, I'm not here to fight." Said a distinctly feminine voice as the speaker emerged slowly from the jungle undergrowth. None of the Chaotix lowered their defence as the young cloaked figure walked cautiously towards them.

"Who are you?" Mighty demanded. The cloaked figure huffed and drew back her hood revealing her bright pink fur and seven dreadlock quills.

"You're… an echidna?" Espio said being the first to regain their senses. She nodded.

"My name's Julie-Su. Thank you for coming, and I'm sorry I wasn't forthcoming with what's happened. I'll try to answer any questions you have but you need to follow me." She turned to delve into the jungle.

"Now wait a second!" Julie-Su looked back at the group, her hands gripping her hood in preparation to pull it back up. Vector stepped forward.

"We've taken a lot on nothing but faith! If Knuckles is really in trouble why didn't he contact us himself?" Distrust dripped from his every word and it wasn't difficult to see how he felt about this unexpected turn of events.

"Knuckles don't have a phone Vec. How could he call us, by playing the bongos?" Charmy quailed back from the crocodiles glare, realising that he had just crossed the line.

"Knuckles is being held prisoner by Imperator Ix of the Nocturnus. The only reason you're here at all is because not everyone is loyal to that megalomaniac!" Julie-Su snapped back, matching glares with Vector.

Mighty and Espio exchanged worried glances as the echidna and crocodile faced off. The chameleon stepped out to stand between them.

"Just one question before we come with you."

"Espio! What are you doing!" Vector shouted, only to be answered by the ninja's withering stare.

"Knuckles is in danger and standing around here will only prolong his captivity! Put away your distrust Vector. We need to work together to save our friend." Vector looked down shamefully and Julie-Su looked at the chameleon with increasing respect. Mighty clapped his hand on Vector's shoulder.

"Besides, I'm sure we can handle anything that comes our way." Espio allowed a ghost of a smile to flicker across his face before he turned back to the echidna.

"You stated that not everyone was loyal to this Imperator Ix." Julie-Su answered with a nod. "Then we have allies."

"Yes. But I don't know how many." Espio was silent for a moment and he stowed his kunai away.

"Where would you have us begin?" Vector and Charmy stared in disbelief at their friend. None of them knew this stranger and yet he was willing to trust her?

"There is another clan who might be able to help us, the Brotherhood of Guardians." She paused for a moment, a thought flickering to life in her mind. "And I think I know a Nocturne on the inside who'll be able to help us."

"So where too first?" Vector grunted his arms folded across his broad chest.

"The Brotherhood, if we can get them on our side it'll make rescuing Knuckles that much easier."

"Then lead the way Julie-Su, and we will follow." Espio said bowing slightly.

"I don't like this Vector." Charmy admitted in a whisper as they slowly followed the cloaked echidna.

"Neither do I Charmy, so stay alert. I've got a feeling this mission won't be as easy as she makes it out to be."

-0-

Shadow was leaning against the wall just outside Sheba's hospital room deep in thought. What the ginger cat had told him was sending his thoughts spiralling through his head, not only about the case, but also about the strange feelings that continued to swirl around his heart at the thought of _her_.

He began to walk slowly down the off-white corridor towards the room of his most trusted friend and ally, Rouge. A pang of guilt flashed through his heart. He had failed her, and it had taken him this long to man up and visit her. He half expected Rouge to send him away as soon as he entered her room, and that was the reason he didn't want to do so alone.

His thoughts returned to that fateful mission which had almost destroyed him. He went over every step he had taken again and again, trying to see where it was he had taken a wrong turning or made a wrong decision and finding far more than he ever wished too.

He paused outside Rouge's room, fighting a battle against his conscience and his shame. After several minutes of internal struggle his knuckles rapped against the door and a soft voice replied for his to come it. Taking a deep breath he pushed the door open and stepped inside.

Rouge looked up from her bed and regarded the hedgehog through dull eyes. Her face was pale, her eyes were heavy, and for the first time, Shadow saw her without her mask of makeup. Shadow walked slowly to her bed side, never breaking eyes contact.

They were silent for several minutes, neither knowing what to say. Rouge knew that Shadow blamed himself for what happened and part of her wanted to blame him as well. But he had saved her, in the end he had saved her.

"I'm sorry…" Shadow said finally breaking the silence. "If I had only been faster I-"

"It wasn't your fault Shadow. Sometimes missions go wrong and…" Her response sounded hollow and strained, swiftly fading back into silence. Rouge looked away and stared down at her feet.

"I was scared Shadow. I thought I would never see daylight again." She pulled her knees to her chest, wincing at every movement. Shadow could see a small patch of red seeping through the shoulder of her medical gown and a stronger wave of guilt washed over him before he remembered Cassie's words.

He wasn't sure what drove him, but he carefully sat down on the edge of her bed and pulled her close, wrapping his arms gently around her frame.

"I know nothing I say can change what happened, and I'm sorry for that. I will never forgive myself for what you and Sonic had to endure, but I can't let it hang over my head." Rouge looked up from her position against his chest. "What happens happens. And although we might not like what happens, we can't let it control our lives; we must knuckle down and adapt however we can."

"Wow Shadow, since when did you become a philosopher?" Shadow smiled down softly at the bat in his arms.

"Since someone made me realise that I've spent too long living in the past."

"You're gonna have to introduce me to them, I want to shake the hand of whoever managed to get Shadow the Hedgehog to open up." His smile grew wider as he looked over at the open door and the lavender hedgehog who was leaning on the doorframe with a sweet smile on her lips.

"Sooner than you think." He said. Rouge looked up at him confused before following his point of view. "I'd like you to meet my partner, Agent Cassie Rahna."

* * *

**Well that was a long time coming!**

**Chapter 30, Big landmark for me (considering that I only posted FntS as a one shot all those chapters ago)  
Big shoutout and thank you to all those who have kept me going:  
Silhouette the Daemon-Wolf  
Zebsolo  
Stonefaced610  
Outis aka nobody  
and of course everyone else who I haven't mentioned.**

**Thank you all and long live FntS!**

**Corrupt TE, off to celebrate!**


	31. Dark Thoughts

**And another one get uploaded!  
I've got a few twists and turns planned out, just need to write 'em now...**

**I'll get round to that later, in the mean-time enjoy the latest chapter!**

* * *

Shadow stood with his arms folded watching his two closest friends talking like they had known each other for years. He opened the folder in his hands and began rereading the notes Cassie had jotted down on Rouge's thoughts of their case.

Assassins.

Shadow had always seen assassins in the same light as mercenaries', guns for hire just a little bit more accurate, and the thought of having to deal with another 'Assassins Dance' turned his stomach. From reading the reports Cassie had brought with her, he had figured that the 'Assassins Dance' was nothing but a glorified gang war, just without the usual civilian collateral damage.

"So how are you Rouge, really?" Cassie asked and Shadow glanced up from the paperwork. Rouge looked down at her bandaged body and the pain and sorrow on her face was clear.

"When I was in that room with him, I though I was going to die." She wiped away a tear and looked back up with a false smile on her lips. "But I didn't did I. Shadow saved me, like he always does."

Shadow looked away, unable to meet their eyes. Cassie frowned at his reaction but let it go as Rouge continued. "My only regret is that I didn't have the chance to kill that bastard myself!"

The venom in her voice surprised even Shadow.

"You don't mean that Rouge." Cassie said quickly.

"I know what I mean!" Rouge snapped. "I wanted him to feel like he was going to die! Like everything he had done in his entire life would be wiped clean, his entire existence meaningless!"

Shadow waved away the concerned looking nurse who had peeked around the door to see what was going on.

"And where was Knuckles! Where is he?" Rouge demanded. "Every second I thought he'd charge in and save me. He was the only reason I kept going, and where is he! Why hasn't he come to see me? Don't I mean something to him?"

Cassie looked to Shadow for some help in answering her questions.

"Knuckles hasn't been informed about the mission or its outcome." He answered clinically.

"He returned to Angel Island to-" Rouge's humourless laughter cut across Cassie's words.

"Of course. He'd always put that stupid glowing rock over anything else." Despair and anguish were clear in her tone.

"It's not like that! I'm sure if he knew he'd drop everything and come to see you."

"Then why haven't you told him then?" Cassie flinched back and Shadow felt a slight surge of anger.

"Rouge, you know better than anyone how difficult it is to get a message to Angel Island!" The ebony hedgehog snapped and both young women looked at him. Cassie snapped her fingers.

"But we won't have to worry about that for much longer. As an Agent he'll be provided with the best in modern communication technology, so we'll be able to get hold of him anytime, anywhere!"

"Knuckles, an Agent?" Rouge stared at Cassie like she had gone mad.

"Cassie's been working backroom to get Knuckles Agent status so he can aid us in an investigation." Shadow explained, answering Rouge's unasked question.

"But, Knuckles an Agent…"

"It'll take some time to get him all the equipment he needs but-"

"I don't care!" Cassie once again was stunned into silence. "It should've been him who saved me!"

Tears began to flow from her turquoise eyes and she pulled her knees tightly to her chest. "I should've gone out with him instead of doing that stupid mission."

Cassie gently laid a comforting hand on the bats shoulder. "I don't think I can do this anymore."

"Do what?" Rouge ignored Shadow's question and wiped her eyes.

"Cassie, in that draw is the few belongings I had when I got admitted." She said pointing at the draw. "I want you to take my badge to the Commander. I'm done."

The two hedgehogs looked at each other neither of them knowing what to say.

"Rouge I-"

"No Shadow. I've made up my mind." Rouge's eyes seemed to glaze over as she refused to make eye contact with either of them. "Thank you for coming to see me."

It was clear from the silence that followed that she wouldn't say anything else and with heavy heart Shadow and Cassie left. Shadow paused at the door and looked back in despair at his closest friend.

"If there was only one thing you taught me, it's that you're never alone. I want you to know that I'll be there for you if you ever need me. That's a promise." He quietly closed the door leaving Rouge to think on his words.

Shadow drove in an uncharacteristically slow and safe manner as they made their way back to headquarters. Neither had said much since they had left Rouge and Cassie kept staring down at Rouge's GUN badge she held in her hand. Shadow glanced at her and frowned, he needed to say something even if it was just to break the silence.

"We'll wait until she's discharged; see if she's changed her mind about…" He trailed off, still not wanting to believe what the white bat had said.

"She sounded so sure about it…" Her voice was quiet and trembled slightly.

"She's a strong-minded woman yes. But for as long as I've known her she's been an Agent, and it's just as likely she'd give up her diamond collection as it is she'd leave GUN." Cassie gnawed worriedly at her lip despite his words. Shadow glanced over at his partner and sighed.

"The way I see it, the only one who can change Rouge's mind is Rouge." Cassie looked over at him as he continued. "We're her friends and we can advise her on certain choices, but ultimately it's her decision. And we must respect that choice."

They spent the rest of the journey in thoughtful silence, the weight of what they had learnt that day still slowly seeping in.

-0-

Julie-Su led the Chaotix deeper into the jungle. They had already passed through the borderline which separated the clan territories, the skeletal remains of Nocturne warriors set up as warnings to hostiles caused Charmy to degrade into a gibbering wreck of nerves until they had left the macabre displays far behind.

As the echidna led them onward, Espio couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched, but despite his keen eyes and hearing he couldn't detect anyone. His unease was shared by the rest of the group as they trudged closer towards the gigantic stone pyramid.

"What do you know about this Brotherhood of Guardians?" Mighty asked the echidna in a hushed voice, he thought he'd seen some movement in the undergrowth and was scanning the darkening thicket.

"The Nocturne hasn't kept and official contact with the Brotherhood for many years, but every so often a family from Nocturnus would run away from the fortress and seek sanctuary with the Brotherhood."

"If life is really that bad, how come you Nocturne are the stronger clan on this island?" Vector scoffed. Julie-Su stopped, her hand resting on a tree trunk and she looked back at the crocodile.

"You'd be amazed how powerful fear can be." She turned away from the disgruntled reptile and continued onwards. Vector received disapproving glares from Espio and Mighty and even Charmy frowned down at him.

"What?" His companions wordlessly shook their and followed their echidna guide leaving Vector to bring up the rear muttering about them trusting a stranger more than him. None of them noticed the blacked cloaked figure that practically melted from the shadows to follow them in silence.

-0-

Sakura looked at herself in the mirror and ran a sturdy brush through the thick, unruly fur of her tail muttering curses whenever she came across a bunch of knots. Twice she had thrown the hairbrush down in frustration. She had just finished a particularly gruelling job repairing one of the heavy lifters the engineers were using to clear the rubble from the castle grounds and she was glad that was over.

Once she had finished she went to her set of draws' and pulled out a white vest and her least grease-stained pair of combat trousers. They were urban-coloured camo design, standard issue for the Engineers of the Acorn Kingdom. Grabbing her jacket she walked out of her Spartan decorated billet and into the street.

She waved at some of the workers and fellow soldiers as she passed, joking with some and laughing with others. She was heading to the temporary housing which Tails had been given during his stay.

"Hey, Sakura!" She turned her head and saw a husky jogging towards her.

"Pulo, what's up?" The husky was wearing the camo uniform of a Royal Engineer and was one of her closest friends in the forces.

"Not much." He admitted as he matched her pace. "All the repairs are flying by, that Tails is a genius!"

Sakura laughed. "Don't let him hear you say that."

"Ah who cares? What I wanted to talk about is how you're a hero!" Grinning, Sakura glanced sidelong at here friend.

"Me, a hero?"

"Yeah, shocked me too." Pulo chuckled when she punched his arm in reply. "Whole regiments talkin' about how you an' Tails rescued Rotor."

"I didn't do much, just showed Fuzzy around that's all." She said with a shrug.

"That's bull and you know it."

"Maybe. But anyway, you didn't run over here just to try an' make me gush, what's going on?" Pulo looked at his feet and watched the small clouds of dust and dirt that billowed out from under each step.

"You know we were waiting to ship out to Mercia before this Robotnik business?" Sakura gave him a look and he hurriedly continued. "Now that most of the works been cleared the crown is happy to let the local builders finish up. We're shipping out in two days."

"Two days!"

"What, did I stutter?" Pulo cringed when he earned another punch to the arm.

"Two days…" Sakura grumbled. "And things were just starting to get good."

"Aww, Sakura gonna miss her little boyfriend?" Pulo chuckled.

"Do you want me to hit you again? 'Cause I will." The husky grinned but still moved away a few paces just in case. "But seriously, Tails is a good guy. Smart, brave, quick thinking, kinda cute..."

"And he's got those two tails."

"Yeah, twice the fluff." They stopped outside Tails' temporary accommodation.

"Well I just wanted to let ya know about, you know."

"Yeah, thanks Pulo." She gave the husky a hug.

"Have fun Nutcase, and I'll see you later." Sakura grinned as they parted.

"Don't get into trouble Dogbreath!" She called as he walked away.

"Sure thing Mother!" He called back, sarcasm dripping from his words.

"I mean it! I wanna be there to point and laugh!"

"He seems nice." Sakura yelped as she jumped, looking behind her she saw Tails closing his door.

"Bloody hell, don't do that!" Tails grinned apologetically.

"Sorry, but when I heard you I thought, why wait for you to knock on the door?" Sakura rested her hands on her hips.

"Usually out of politeness." The two-tailed fox shuffled his feet sheepishly. "So where're we going?"

"Well I've got an old friend who owns a place to eat; I thought we'd go there."

"Cool." She replied simply, looping her arm in his. "Lead the way then Fuzzy."

* * *

**Blarg... This took longer than it should've to write.  
But hey it's done.**

**The next few updates might be a bit sporadic, real life an' all that.  
****(Should really set up a buffer zone of updates...)**

**Anyway, catch you lot later.  
-Corrupt TE-**


	32. Bad Cop and Shadow

**Chapter 32: Bad Cop and Shadow.**

**Sorry this weeks update is a bit late, had my graduation on friday and took a while to recover.  
I know, no excuse.**

**I wanted to get the plot moving in this one so thats just what I did.  
Hope you enjoy.**

* * *

Shadow and Cassie stood in a small observation room overlooking an interviewing room through a two-way mirror. Sitting on one side of the metallic table was an iguana sporting a thick lip and a large black eye, both he had received from the irate echidna who had hurled him through several panes of glass. He was wearing the crumpled remnants of a crisp white shirt and a pair of creased black suit trousers. His arms were handcuffed behind the chair.

He was the only link they had to the perpetrators of the body heist pulled a few days ago and until now they hadn't had the time to interview him. They only hoped that the iguana would give them the information they were after.

"Do you think we've let him wait long enough?" Cassie asked her brooding partner. Shadow glared through the glass at the green and blue scaled reptile a sinister smile spreading across his lips.

"I think so."

"Great! I bagsy bad cop." She grinned and headed towards the door.

"No you don't, I'm always the bad cop!" She stopped in the doorway and grinned, an idea forming in her mind.

"Tell you what." She began, folding her arms and leaning on the door frame. "I'll let you be the bad cop if you join me for a night on the town tomorrow."

Shadow crossed his arms and looked at her sceptically. "Unless of course you've got better plans for a Saturday night."

Her smile was full as he stared at her a slight frown on his face. "Well?"

"Alright." He relented after several minutes. "It's not like I do much on Saturday anyway…"

Cassie's grin got broader. "Excellent. Well come on Shadz, lets see your bad cop in action."

Shadow marvelled at how this girl could make him smile with just a few simple words. No-one had been able to do that since, Maria… He followed her out of the observation room and into short hallway which connected the various interviewing and observation rooms. Cassie looked back at her partner.

"Let's have some fun shall we?" She pushed open the door, instantly replacing her happy expression with a straight face; Shadow followed wearing his usual scowl and took up a sinister position in the corner after closing the door. Cassie sat down opposite the iguana and sorted through the file she had brought in before looking up at him.

"Let's get this started shall we." She laid out the two photographs of Paul Metha'as and the Mongoose John Doe. "Do you recognise either of these men?"

The iguana leaned forward as best he could and glanced at the photos before shaking his head. "Should I?"

"You should. 'Cause you helped these guys invade GUN headquarters, you opened fire on GUN Agents to aid in their escape."

"Looks like I didn't do a good job then." He said with a smirk. Shadow glared at him from his corner.

"No you didn't. And that got me wondering, why would anyone hire you?" It was Shadow's turn to smirk as his saw the small flicker of anxiety flash across the iguana's face. "I mean, with your track record, Stanly Haygard, why would anyone hire you?"

Cassie proceeded to lay the information on the iguana on the table as she listed the various criminal records he had earned through his life. "This one's my favourite, first degree murder."

"I was never convicted for that!" The iguana, Stanly said quickly.

"No, that's true. You had a bloody good lawyer, a… Mr Acklesfield if I've got my notes right." She glanced at the fidgeting reptile and smiled. "Is this him?"

She laid out another photograph, this one a still frame taken from the interview room used for the late Paul Metha'as when his sister had visited him with her lawyer. Cassie pointed at the purple hedgehog in the suit.

"Yeah, that's him."

"Now I've been thinking about this for some time, stop me if I'm wrong. You knew Mr Acklesfield, Acklesfield knew Paul Metha'as and his sister, Paul Metha'as hired you to help him infiltrate GUN headquarters because he knew you owed Acklesfield for getting you off on the murder charge, and you agreed knowing full well that with a flick of his wrist, Acklesfield could send you down for that same murder he got you acquitted from!" Her voice had been steadily rising and she now stood, her hands pressed down on the table as she glared down at the cringing iguana.

Suddenly she sat back down with a sinister smiled. "That's what I think in any case. How about you?"

Stanly Haygard looked at the black furred hedgehog in the corner and gulped when he saw those crimson eyes glaring back at him.

"I want a lawyer." He said shakily.

"I'm so sorry, but you don't qualify." Cassie replied. She was enjoying making him squirm. "You see, we've got evidence of you firing at GUN Agents, several witnesses not including the extensive security recordings. So it doesn't matter who you get as your lawyer, you're going down regardless. But I've got a deal for you."

The iguana perked up slightly and looked at her expectedly. "You tell us what we want to know and, well… you get the idea."

"You've already said I'm going down regardless, and tellin' ya what you want to know ain't gonna help me. So I'm staying quiet."

"You really think keeping quiet is going to help you?" Shadow asked from his corner. Stanly looked at him, mainly to avoid the sadistic expression on the Cassie's face.

"Worked before!" The ebony hedgehog walked forward slowly until he was standing beside the iguana.

"Paul Metha'as kept quiet, he's dead."

"What!" He stammered fear and disbelief in his voice.

"And if they can get to him, they most certainly can get to you. Especially if we keep you in a low security holding cell." Shadow put emphasis on 'low security' and smiled at the reaction.

"Or we could release you; see how long you last on the street with nowhere to hide." Cassie added. The iguana looked fearfully from one hedgehog to the other.

"Look man, you don't know who you're dealing with. They'd kill me if I tell you anything!" Shadow leaned in close. His next words a scant whisper.

"And I'll kill you if you don't. And I'll be slow."

"You can't do that, you're an Agent!"

"I'm Shadow the Hedgehog. Do you really think I give a damn about what I can and can't do?" Stanly looked to the female Agent to reign in her partner, but her expression of acceptance gave him cause to whimper.

"All right I'll tell you what I know, but you gotta promise you'll keep me safe!" Shadow stood back up and looked at Cassie, who smiled.

"I think we can work something out."

-0-

"Why are we waiting outside? If we want to get their help shouldn't we just walk it?" Charmy demanded as he buzzed around the others gazing up the steep stone steps of the grand pyramid. Espio sighed quietly as Vector took a swipe at the bee.

"Why are we out here?" Mighty asked their guide, Julie-Su. The pink echidna thought for a moment, her eyes staring up at the thick door at the top of the stairs which glowed with an odd faint cyan light.

"We're waiting."

"Waiting?"

"Yeah. We don't want to appear like enemies."

"That depends on your purpose here." Julie-Su and the Chaotix turned quickly to find themselves surrounded by echidna warriors. Some possessed cybernetic enhancements and blaster weapons while others wielded spears and shovel-claws. But the one who grabbed their attention was a black furred echidna with blood-red eyes, who was wearing a long flowing black cloak and a silver open-faced helmet. His appearance caused the usually hyper Charmy to cower behind the large form of Vector and even Espio felt an unusual cold chill run down his spine.

"Speak quickly!" The shadowy echidna barked a cloud of smoke bursting outward from the folds of his cloak. Julie-Su gulped down her fear and stepped forward, bowing her head in respect.

"I am Julie-Su of the Nocturnus, and I humbly request an audience with the Brotherhood of Guardians." The dark echidna glared at her and the silence seemed to drag on. Both the Chaotix and the echidna warriors exchanged glances with one another, unsure of how things would pan out.

"Very well." Said the cloaked echidna finally. He strode past a shocked Julie-Su and began climbing the high stairs, the echidna warriors following him a few paces behind. He paused on the fourth step before he turned his head and looked back down at the Chaotix as the warriors continuing to climb past him.

His red eyes seemed to blaze. "Come quickly! Hawking is not to be kept waiting."

By the time they had reached the turquoise door, the echidna warriors had already passed through the threshold leaving only the black cloaked one waiting for them at the top. Vector crawled up the last of the steps and collapsed behind the other Chaotix. Charmy began trying to pull him up, but their efforts went unnoticed by Espio, Mighty and Julie-Su.

"I warn you here and now, if any of you even contemplate causing trouble, you will never see sunlight again." He turned and disappeared through the door, his cloak almost making him invisible as he followed the darkened corridor.

"What did he mean by that?" Charmy asked his suddenly pale faced companions. Vector looked up from his position sprawled on the cold stone steps. Sometimes he couldn't believe the naivety of the bumble bee.

"Charmy, he means he'll make you wear a blindfold for the rest of your life." He said calmly, in full knowledge that what he said was a blatant lie.

"But that means I won't be able to see my precious sugar! No!" The hyperactive insect cried before landing with a sniffle. "I'll be good."

"Tell ya what, we do this and I'll buy you some ice-cream." The crocodile said, laying a hand on Charmy's shoulder. Vector met the gaze of the others and in a moment of silent understanding they all agreed to keep the truth of the situation away from the youngest detective.

-0-

Tails and Sakura had chatted cheerfully as they walked through the streets. Here there was little evidence that Robotnik had attacked except for the towering cranes jutting into the skyline and the faint column of smoke that still drifted up from the rubble of the castle.

Tails was amazed at how quickly people had returned to their normal lives. The open-air market place was packed with shoppers, the air filled with raised voices bawling about how low their prices were.

"I forgot how crowded things get around here." Tails muttered as they squeezed through the crowd.

"Tell me about it. At least on deployment all I have to worry about is having to repair the captains jeep. Watch the tail!" Tails smirked as the offending shopper darted away swiftly before suffering the wrath of an irate vixen. "Arsehole."

"Where're we going anyway? The only place around here is Charles's Place and that place is always packed!" She finally managed to manoeuvre herself to Tails' side and clamped an arm tightly around his to avoid being swept away by the crowd a second time.

"Yeah, but Uncle Chuck found out that I was around and practically begged me to visit him." He grinned at the surprised look on Sakura's face. "And who am I to say no too family?"

As if on cue, the crowd parted revealing the most popular eating establishment in all of New Mobotropolis. Aptly named 'Charles's Place', it boasted the best chef's of the Acorn kingdom and it wasn't unusual for other cooks from all over the globe to travel here just to speak, work or train under the great Sir Charles the Hedgehog.

"I remember this place when it was just a chilli-dog stand." Tails commented with a chuckle. "Come on."

Sakura had yet to regain the ability to speak as the golden furred twin-tailed fox guided her up too, and through the glass doors and into the busy restaurant. A myriad of sounds and smells immediately assaulted their senses and their mouths were quick to respond.

"Hello and welcome to Charles's Place. Have you got a table booked?" Asked the cute looking antelope at the front desk.

"Yes, thank you. Tails Prower." The antelope looked down at the list in front of her before smiling.

"Sir Charles has booked you in the private room. If you would like to follow me?" She picked up a pair of menus and led them to the back of the large restaurant. The floor plan was simple, tables of varying sizes scattered around the room, surrounding a small stage in a semi-circle pattern. Tails knew that the stage could be, and had been used for various bands, comedy performances and even amateur dramatics, at the moment a small quartet band was playing for the entertainment of the patrons. The antelope held open a door marked 'private' and the two foxes entered the room beyond.

The private room was decorated in an old Mercian style with dark wooden, intricately engraved panelling along the walls, sanded wooden floor boards covered with a deep velvet red carpet, a large window through which they could see the only section of undeveloped woodland and the darkening orange sky beyond.

Tails pulled out one of the two hand-carved dinning chairs for Sakura, who obligingly sat down. Her hands brushed the polished and shinning wood of the matching carved table, the look of wonder still residing on her face. Tails sat down on the opposite side of the small dinning table and accepted one of the menus from the waitress without taking his eyes off of Sakura's.

"How'd you pull this off?" She asked finally, nodding her thanks to the antelope as she took hold of the remaining menu and the waitress left in silence. Tails smiled.

"There's an old saying: it's not what you know, it's who you know. And fortunately for us, I know Chuck rather well." Sakura was seeing the young fox in a new light. True he had already proved to be both brave and intelligent, but now he was showing that he had social standing, that he personally knew some very influential people in the city and that he wasn't one to flaunt what he could do or who he knew.

"You really know how to impress a girl don't you." She said with a coy smile with sent the blood rushing to his cheeks.

"Well… actually I'm, I… you're the first person I've ever gone out with." Tails admitted shakily. He quickly hid behind his menu in an attempt to hide his embarrassment. Thankfully he was saved by the door swinging open and an aging blue hedgehog walking in wearing the white coat of a chef and a beaming smile.

"Tails. Oh my boy, it's so good to see you!" Tails had stood when the old man had entered and was now on the receiving end of an encompassing hug.

"Hey, Uncle Chuck." The hedgehog held Tails by the shoulders and Sakura could at last get a clear look at him. His fur was starting to lose its pigmentation and greying patches stood out here and there. His face was that of a kindly old man with caring green eyes and a floppy long moustache. She stood as those eyes swept onto her and smiled.

"Oh ho! And who's your friend my boy?" Uncle Chuck asked with a grin and a wink. Sakura grinned back.

"Uncle Chuck, I'd like you to meet Sakura McCain. Sakura, this is my Uncle Chuck." Tails explained. Chuck instantly walked over to the red furred vixen and shook her fondly by the hand.

"I can see the family resemblance." She joked, causing the hedgehog's grin to get even wider.

"It's about time Tails found a lovely young girl instead of hiding amongst all those machines."

"Uncle Chuck…" The embarrassed fox moaned. Chuck laughed and clapped him on the shoulder.

"Oh Tails, it really is good to see you." He clapped his hands together. "Now I suppose you're both hungry. Simply chose whatever it is you want and I'll get it for you free of charge."

"We couldn't do that Chuck." Sakura said quickly, only to be waved down by the beaming hedgehog.

"Nonsense, I won't have it!" He smiled once more at Tails. "Family eats for free."

"Thanks Chuck." Tails replied with a smile of his own.

"Anya will be along for your drinks order shortly. But if you excuse me, we've got a full house tonight and I'm needed in the kitchens." With quick and polite goodbyes, Uncle Chuck left the two young foxes alone and returned to his busy job. As soon as he was gone, Tails' expression changed to one of worry.

"What's up, Fuzzy?" Sakura asked. He sighed and sat down his head resting in his hands.

"It's complicated." He answered as Sakura returned to her own seat.

"Try me."

-0-

Shadow was in his office reading through the file Cassie had brought him about the attack on the Acorn Kingdom city of New Mobotropolis. The castle had been wrecked by the warhead fired from the Death Egg, but thankfully no one had been killed. Sally Acorn, GUN's recently promoted second in command was leading the relief effort. Shadow smirked at the thought that she had only been the Commanders secretary a short while ago. How quickly things could change.

A knock at the door roused him from his focus and he looked up to see the very lavender furred hedgehog standing in his doorway with her jacket slung over one shoulder.

"You're not very good at timekeeping are you?" Shadow looked at her questioningly before following her gaze to the window and the darkening sky outside.

"Huh. Guess time flies when you're not paying attention." He said wistfully.

"Come on. You and me are going to the pub." Cassie said with a jerk of her head.

"I thought that was the plan for tomorrow." Replied the ebony hedgehog looking back at his computer screen. Cassie sighed in frustration.

"The plan for tomorrow is a night on the town! And I'm not going on a bar crawl with a teetotaller!" Shadow finished closing down his computer and stood up, eyeing his partner through a cocked eyebrow.

"I suppose I have no say in this matter."

"None whatsoever." She replied with a shake of the head and a grin. "Grab your coat Shadz, we're leaving."

"You do know that my lack of a coat makes that saying rather redundant." Shadow said with his usual straight faced approach which Cassie loved.

"True, but I like it anyway." She stood upright and stepped back into the hallway. "Now let's make history: the night Shadow the Hedgehog first got drunk!"

* * *

**And there we have it.  
Yes Zebsolo, Shadow is going to get drunk.  
****I appreciate your patients and hope that the next few chapters don't disappoint.**

**That said though, next weekend is going to be really busy so updates might be slightly late.**

**This is Corrupt TE.  
Bye all.**


	33. Night of Memories

**Woo! Chapter 33!**

**I don't really have anything sarcastic or remotely funny to say here so...  
*Ahem*  
On with the Chapter!**

* * *

Sakura looked at the expression written upon Tails' face as he played with a fork.

"Uncle Chuck… Charles, as you might've guessed isn't my uncle." He stated as he continued to spin the shining piece of cutlery around his fingers.

"I didn't notice." Sakura joked, causing a smirk to grace the young inventors' features.

"He's the closest thing I've got to an uncle and by extension he is. You see, his nephew, and only living relative is Sonic the Hedgehog, and Sonic's my brother in all but blood." Tails glanced up into the attentive eyes of the attractive young girl sitting opposite. She disserved the truth.

"The only reason I came to New Mobotropolis is because Sonic's been hurt and I needed Rotor's and Nicole's help." He licked his dry lips and continued. "I guess you could call it luck that I came when I did. Any other day and… I don't really want to…"

"Hey it's alright Tails." Sakura said in a comforting tone. "What matters is you're here. You helped save lives and as a bonus you got to meet me."

Tails chuckled and looked up into her smiling face. "Besides, what's done is done. We can't predict what happens; we just have to roll with it. But the fact that you came here seeking help, and when you saw what had happened here dropped everything to help out where you could, say's a lot about you."

"But on that same note, it means I forgot about helping my brother in favour of helping others. I mean, what does that say about me?" Tails went back to playing with his cutlery so he didn't see the frown that graced Sakura's features.

"If you'd just ignored those in need for your brother Sonic, you would be a shallow minded, heartless person who by extension is only looking out for himself! It's you're compassion towards others that makes you who you are, not the goals by which you live your life." Sakura leaned back in her chair and began looking over the menu. "Besides, do you really think I'd be here if you were like that?"

She leaned forward and fixed the now smiling fox with a relaxed glance. "Wanna know a secret? Contrary to popular belief, I'm more attracted to nice guys and gentlemen, not the bad boys. Luckily for you, you're both a nice guy and a gentleman."

Tails' cheeks flushed a solid crimson and he couldn't help but grin at the string of compliments she had flung his way.

"Th-thank you Sakura, a-and um, you're… lo-looking very nice tonight." He was rewarded with a flattered smile.

"Thanks Tails. Now how about you tell me about yourself while we wait for Anya to get back."

-0-

Shadow walked slowly along the darkening street a half-pace behind his partner and friend, Cassie. She had decided that the two of them would spend some time in the local pub to give Shadow, in her own words: "At least some experience with the wonders of alcohol." It was an experience that Shadow was not looking forward too.

"Don't look so sullen Shadz, this is gonna be fun!" Cassie exclaimed in an attempt to lighten his mood. Luckily Shadow was used to her snarky sense of humour and it earned her a grin.

"I have got a reputation to keep you know." He replied. Cassie had yet to say where they were heading other than _a good place_.

"Believe me, that reputation is what's keeping you from making friends." She said matter-of-factly causing Shadow to smirked in response.

"I've never seen the reason behind having friends." He admitted with a shrug of his shoulders. "They always seemed to be a liability."

Cassie frowned at him and slowed down her pace to walk by his side. She studied his hard features, his blazing red eyes were fixed ahead and his usual foul tempered scowl decorated his face.

"You've got too lighten up a bit Shadz." With a pat to his shoulder and a smile. "And that's just what we're going to do."

With a wide gesture she pointed towards a red bricked building painted white from about eight feet up the wall too the top giving it an odd Victorian air about it. There was a large metal sign bolted to the face of the building of two emeralds with the name: 'Emeralds Rest' emboldened upon the surface. Outside were a few mobians chatting with either cigarettes or drinks in their hands, some who Shadow recognised in passing as fellow GUN Agents.

"This is where a few of us come to relax or too blow off some steam." Cassie explained as she waved to a couple of the people. Shadow could see several more mobians through the wide expansive windows, including some standing around a pool table and others by a dart board.

"Hey Rahna! Haven't seen you in the pit for a while, where you been?" Called one of the people just outside the door.

"I'm going up in the world." She responded with a broad grin as they neared. "I'm an investigative Agent working a murder case now."

"Congrats girl!" The drinker replied, causing several others to raise their voices and glasses in congratulations.

"Thanks guys." After the pleasantries, Shadow and Cassie slipped through the heavy dark wood door and into the pub itself.

The noise was the first thing that Shadow noticed; the laughter, the chatter and the clink of glasses. His eyes were instantly drawn to the long mahogany carved bar with polished top and several pumps labelled with various lagers, bitters, ales and ciders. Behind the bar was a large mirror reflecting the patrons and the bottles that rested on shallow shelves. Shadow decided against trying to count the amount of different labels and simply resorted to following Cassie up to the bar. Cassie leaned on the slightly sticky surface and turned her head to look sidelong at the rather lost looking hedgehog.

"Alright Shadz, how do'ya like it so far?" The amusement in her voice was evident, as was the awkwardness that Shadow was feeling.

"It's… different. To say the least." He continued to sweep his gaze over the crowd, scanning for any possible attack or confrontation, sizing up possible opponents and identifying various escape routes if necessary.

"Just different? Come on!" Cassie pointed at a bottle and held up two fingers when the barman asked what she wanted. "Of course this is different. I doubt you've done as much as your average mobian, well as much as any normal mobian anyway."

Shadow's eyes narrowed and he looked at her. "What do you mean by 'normal'?"

"Well for starters, someone who wasn't created in a laboratory in space, or someone who's taken it on themselves to be the most miserable, unsociable person on the face of Mobius." The lavender hedgehog replied fearlessly, paying for, and accepting two small glasses of amber liquid with a pair of ice cubes floating in each. She passed one to him. "Here. My dad brought me this as my first drink on my eighteenth."

Shadow took a tentative sniff before sipping the drink carefully. His eyes widened, his throat burning as the liquid flowed down towards his stomach.

"What the hell is this?" He exclaimed after a short coughing fit which left Cassie in fits of laughter.

"Good old Glen Fiddich, five years." She chuckled. "Goes down smooth don't it."

Shadow coughed again before taking a deeper draught from his glass. He had to admit, the aftertaste was rather pleasant.

"Alright!" Cassie cried, slamming her empty glass back on the bar. "Welcome to life being a boozer! Lets get a proper round in."

She waved over the bartender, determined to show Shadow just how much he was missing.

-0-

Shade was leaning on the metallic wall as she stared out into the darkening sky. Already she could see street lights beginning to flicker to life. Her eyes drifted up into the sky and the tiny pinpricks of light that glinted down at her from the heavens. Her own eyes glittered in response. So enraptured was in the stars that she didn't notice Renaile approaching until she was almost right next to her.

"They're beautiful, aren't they." Shade successfully disguised her surprise and nodded her agreement.

"Indeed they are." Renaile had an odd green hue to her fur, an oddity among the Nocturne, but one that had been gradually appearing over the years along with other variations of fur colouration and pigmentation.

"I've heard rumours of Gizoids being mobilised for combat." The light green echidna looked at her commanding officer. Shade had heard the same rumours herself. "Do you think the Imperator and Procurator will push for war?"

Shade sighed inwardly. She had heard such whispers from the less experienced scouts and other troops since they had returned to Mobius, and she was beginning to worry herself.

"I… I'm not sure." Shade replied truthfully. "I wouldn't put it pass the Imperator to march us into another war, but surely with our escape from the Twilight Cage, Legatus Kragok wouldn't condone such an action."

"I wish I could share in your confidence." Renaile said a faint tone of resignation in her voice.

"Have the others make ready. We use the darkness to our advantage and indentify the seat of power in this city." The light green furred echidna nodded her head and headed off towards the small fire that the others sat around. Shade watched her go.

"I wish I had the confidence to share." She said in a whisper that faded into nothingness long before it could reach another pair of ears. Shade turned back to the stars, hoping to shine some light on the dark thoughts that flitted through her mind.

-0-

"Drink! Drink! Drink! Drink!" The chant echoed through the pub, released by dozens of voices all edging on the ebony furred hedgehog to down the contents of the long glass. Cassie's voice was amongst the loudest as Shadow neared the bottom of the glass, tipping it almost vertical as the last of the clear brown liquid poured down his throat. A loud rambunctious cheer went up when he held the now empty yard glass aloft in triumph. Cassie wrapped her arms around the grinning hedgehog as grasping hands reached out and took the long glass from his hands.

"That was awesome!" She cried to be heard over the cheers. Shadow swayed slightly, still attempting to get his breath back after his little escapade.

He had quickly learnt that the Emeralds Rest was the unofficial local pub for the GUN Agents, and as soon as Cassie had introduced him to the gathered crowd there had been a rush to buy him a drink, and neither of them had paid for another round since.

Still receiving pats on the back Shadow, supported on one side by Cassie, staggered back to the bar stool which had been swiftly earmarked as _'Shadow's stool'_ and sat down with a thud.

"You know, I've lost count how much I've drunk, but it's not even inflicting me." His voice was slurred and he managed to grab the drink placed in front of him on the third attempt. Cassie giggled as he pulled her down onto the seat next to him.

"Oh I think it is Shadow." She grinned before losing her centre of balance and slumping into him. The both laughed and she shifted herself to rest her head comfortably in the crook of his shoulder. Shadow looked down at her through slightly blurred vision.

"You know something else? You're really pretty." She looked up, surprise in her eyes. She smiled and nuzzled deeper into his shoulder. "You're the first person to really try an' get to know me, apart from Rouge. But that said, you're the first person I've really opened up too."

He finished his drink and looked down at her, her eyes were closed and a faint smile of bliss was on her face. "Comfy?"

"Mhmm…" Shadow snorted. He glanced up at the round-faced clock just above the bar and although the numbers were unreadable he deciphered from the blurry hands that it was somewhere between eleven in the evening and two in the morning but he couldn't get any closer than that.

"I think we need to go."

"But I'm comfortable." Cassie moaned, wrapping her arms around his and snuggling closer and pushing Shadow closer and closer to the edge of his seat.

"And I'm not going to act as your bed for the night." He said attempting to wiggle some more space on his chair.

"But you do it so well." Shadow grinned at her comment but was resolute that the best nights sleep would be on a proper bed, eventually managing to persuade her to vacate her place at the bar and they staggered towards the door.

The cool air outside struck Shadow like a brick and he had to slump against the wall before his legs gave out. Cassie was giggling as she slipped down to sit on the floor.

"Urh… I don't feel so good." He muttered, his forehead resting against the cold rough brick wall.

"It's just the drink talking." Cassie replied and if on cue, Shadow's stomach heaved and released a concoction of liquids up his throat in a torrent. "Told ya."

Shadow coughed and groaned before wiping his mouth and forehead with the back of his hand. Cassie looked up at him from her place on the floor. "Feel better?"

"Yeah actually." He took several deep breaths and forced himself to stand upright, arching his back as he stretched out the aches that had built up over the course of the night.

"Come on, help me up." Cassie stretched out a hand for Shadow, who hauled her to her feet. She staggered into his chest and felt his arms wrap around her to prevent her from falling their faces ending up barely a few centimetres apart. A rush of blood flushed both their cheeks and neither moved for several moments. Shadow tilted his head slightly, preparing to realign his footing when Cassie mistook his motions and leaned forwards. Their lips brushed lightly together and although it was only for a moment and Shadow was too shocked to move.

They parted with Cassie stepping back leaving Shadow standing stock still like a statue, his head still in the exact position it had been when their lips had met. Her face flushed red and she quickly looked away in embarrassment.

"Sorry, I shouldn't of-" Maybe it was the drink, or the cool air, the spur of the moment, or maybe even the tiny voice in the back of his head, but whatever the reason, whatever the drive, Shadow the Hedgehog pulled Cassie close against his body and crushed his lips against hers.

In this moment of total bliss, both hedgehogs forgot about the world around them.

-0-

She slipped silently into the building, her breathing was ragged and she slumped against the wall to catch her breath before heading deeper into the darkness, leaving behind a dark wet stain on the wall. Clutching her side she staggered into a room, no time to see if no-one was there. She collapsed into a nearby chair with a grunt of pain.

The sound of the door being opened caused her eyes to shoot open. She tried to stand but the knife wound to her side was deep and she had been bleeding profusely, she was barely strong enough to keep hold of her own dagger which glinted in the moonlight that shone through the only window.

Her heartbeat sped up and it was so loud she was worried that the sound would give her away. Her eyes were locked on the doorway she had entered through and soon enough a shadowy silhouette made itself known in the darkness.

"I never thought you'd be the death of me." She growled through the pain.

"It's amazing how much someone can keep hidden. Especially from one blinded by loyalty to the old way." He stepped towards her, his hand swept back. She lunged, knife point aimed for his heart but he casually battered aside her feeble attempt before plunging his own knife deep into her chest. He pulled her face towards his and glared deep into her pain filled eyes.

"I hold true to the code. It is people like you who bastardised it, and it is because of you that we are weaker than ever! And if I must personally cut this rot from our once honourable order one by one, I will." With an unceremonious yank, he pulled his knife from her chest causing her to slump lifelessly to the floor. Kneeling down he took hold of her wrist and sliced three vertical cut, each bisecting the talon tattoo.

Once his gruesome work was completed, the purple furred hedgehog vanished out of the door and into the night beyond.

* * *

***hisss* Cuteness!  
But seriously, it took me ages to write that tiny bit of of romantic subplot, and by the end I just needed to write some violence. In other words, the last paragraph was completely off-the-cuff.  
You've probably guessed it but I'm more comfortable writting dark, violent stuff than happy-go-lucky.**

**Anyway, enough blabble from me.  
Thanks for reading and see ya soon.**

**-Corrupt TE-**


	34. A Time of Joy, a Time of Sorrow

**Ok, first off sorry about the long wait for this chapter.  
Life's kinda jumped in at the deep end and I've barely had any time to write.  
But don't worry, I'm not gonna disappear. Just means that updates might be a little slower than usual.  
Until things get a little more settled that is.**

**That said, lets get on with the latest in the FntS series!**

* * *

"And then I yank out the last bit of wiring and the whole machine collapses into a smoking wreck in front of the casino! Eggman flies off spouting some usual nonsense about not being the last time we saw him and the whole crowd starts cheering for me!" Sakura grinned as Tails retold some of his earliest adventures, she was enjoying the amount of detail he went into and on a number of occasions he had her laughing at some of the absurd things that he and his friends got up to. "But the icing on the cake has to be when the casino manager comes out and says that the wrecked robot needs to be moved or it'll be towed!"

The pair of foxes laughed loudly and Sakura couldn't help but feel more relaxed with Tails then she did with most of her armed forces friends. If someone were to ask Sakura how long it took to trust and be comfortable with someone, she would simply answer a pretty long time. But here she was, with someone she barely knew, more relaxed than she had ever been.

"And that happened when you were only, what, eight years old!" Sakura couldn't keep the admiration from her voice. "When I was eight I was living with my folks 'cross the sea."

She twirled her finger through her lemonade creating a miniature whirlpool in the glass. "I wasn't even sure what I wanted to do then, just that I was good at repairing things and making stuff work."

"I've always had a passion for technology and inventing things." Tails commented. "I mean, I'm even known as the smart one of the team whenever we gang up against Eggman."

"You always come up with the plans eh?"

"Not always, but I make sure that whoever's plan we use is much safer than it would've been." He took a sip from his glass. "Makes me wonder if things would've been different had I gone with Sonic instead of making some excuse about working on a new invention."

"Hey. Nobodies blaming you for what happened so stop blaming yourself." Tails looked at her with a slightly forlorn expression on his face.

"It's not that easy."

"And it never will be, but you have to understand that what's past is past and all we've got left is to look towards the future." Their eyes met and they smiled at each other.

"The future." Tails mused. "Others my age aren't worried about the future."

"True, they're more worried about which celebrity is doing who or what the next best fashion to wear is." Tails chuckled and leaned back as the waitress returned with their meals. "Oh awesome!"

Almost as soon as the plates had been placed before them, Tails dove into the large bowl of chilli which had came with his order of build-your-own chilli-dogs. Sakura had gone for a more traditional meal of sirloin steak coated in black pepper sauce with a side of thick-cut chips. Their conversations turned to topics more mundane as the time passed them by, and before either of them knew it, they had finished their meal and were ordering coffee.

"Straight bog-standard black please." Sakura ordered before turning back to her date at the opposite end of the table. "You haven't actually said why you came to Mobotropolis, just sorta mentioned something about your brother."

"Well um… to start with I didn't even know about Robotnik's attack until I got here, and the reason I came in the first place was to get help for Sonic." Sakura rested her chin on her hands and waited for him to continue. "The plan was to get Rotor's help in designing a device to accelerate a mobians healing factor. It's an idea I've been working on for a few years now, utilising the healing properties of Chaos energy combined with experimental nanotechnology to rapidly regenerate damaged tissue. If it works it'll completely revolutionise the healthcare system and significantly reduce the casualties inflicted in warzones, natural disasters, in pretty much everything!"

"But that's if it works right? I mean what you're planning on using, Chaos energy, it doesn't sound like something you would want to dabble with."

"True, the nature of Chaos energy is, for the lack of a better term, chaotic and should therefore be handled with the utmost care. But saying that, I've seen how that power can be used for both good and evil purposes, but just think how better life would be if we could just harness that energy instead of letting it run loose!" Sakura looked up with a curious glint in her eyes.

"When you say 'letting it run loose', what do you mean?" Tails emptied his glass and swallowed before thinking up an answer.

"Well let me think." He rubbed at his chin in thought. "You know how some mobians have strange and powerful abilities like, super speed, super strength or the ability to launch bolts of energy from their hands. They're what we call Chaos touched or Chaos blessed, people like Sonic and Shadow."

"Yeah, I remember news reports focusing on a glowing yellow hedgehog that can fly whenever Robotnik's defeated, and something similar around the Black Arms invasion."

"That was Sonic and Shadow respectively." Tails said with a shrug. "They absorbed the power of the seven Chaos emeralds which made them strong, fast and resilient enough to defeat the bad guy and save the day."

"And that only happens when they've got all seven emeralds right?"

"Yeah, and every time the emeralds are used together like that, they scatter all across the world. But by either luck, or because they're somehow attracted to him, whenever Sonic needed the emeralds they were never too far away, and a couple of times they wouldn't disappear until the threat of Robotnik or Black Doom had been dealt with! I've even got a theory that the Chaos emeralds themselves are sentient."

"A theory shared by Nicole and myself." Both foxes turned in their seats as Charles the Hedgehog entered with their coffee's on a tray.

"Hey Chuck, thanks for the meal, especially on such short notice." The twin-tailed fox said with a smile as the aging hedgehog placed both steaming mugs of coffee on the table.

"Not at all my lad, it was my pleasure."

"My complements to the chef, that steak was cooked perfectly!" Charles chuckled causing Sakura to raise her eyebrows in a questioning manner.

"Well I'm glad you like my cooking." Sakura's eyes widened and Tails' jaw dropped open.

"You cooked for us?"

"Uncle Chuck, you didn't need to do that!" The two foxes said almost in unison. Charles laughed at their shocked expressions.

"Nonsense. I get a call from my dear nephew asking for a table, how could I allow anyone but myself cook for him and his guests? Who I might add is almost too good for my boy Tails here. Almost." Charles winked at Sakura and Tails promptly turned a deep shade of red and stared at his coffee.

"Uncle Chuck…" Sakura snorted into her coffee.

"Speaking of nephews, I haven't heard from Sonic for a while. Is he out on one of his world travels by any chance?" Suddenly the small room became extremely quiet as Tails looked first at Sakura and then back at the man he saw as a father figure. Charles smile faltered slightly as he tucked the tray under his arm.

"Sonic's uhh…" A scrape of a chair and Sakura had stood up.

"I need to… I'll be back in a bit." She walked over to the door casting a smile at Charles and a supporting glance over to Tails before stepping out into the bustle of the restaurant just beyond the door. Now alone, Tails indicated his uncle to sit down in the now unoccupied chair. Charles did so slowly, but not without a feeling of dread washing over him.

"What is it Tails?" The twin-tailed fox gulped, his mouth suddenly bone dry.

"It's Sonic, Uncle Chuck. He was hurt on a GUN mission. Hurt badly." With Charles remaining silent, Tails saw no reason not to continue. "When I saw him lying there in that hospital bed I just knew I had to do whatever I could to save my brother, so I brought some of my plans forward."

"I was hoping that with access to Rotor's notes on the advancing nanotechnology and my own knowledge in the manipulation of Chaos energy, we could devise some sort of rapid healing technology to get him back on his feet. It's a long shot I know, and medicines never been my strong point but I've got to do something!"

"So tell me, Miles." Charles' voice was low and tinged with sadness and at the sound of his name, Tails' ears flattened against his head and he could no longer look the old man in the eye. "Why are you here and not creating this wonder cure of yours?"

Although the aging hedgehog's tone was soft, Tails dearly wished that Charles would shout at him instead. At least he could deal with the hedgehog's anger, but not his disappointment.

"I-I was, that was my first thought when preparing to come here, but when I found out about Robotnik's attack and King Acorn missing, others things overtook me! I didn't even have time to talk to Rotor before he was rushed off to Timmy Turtle Hospital, but I promise that I'll do everything I can to help Sonic." Tails was on the verge of tears as he poured out his lament. "There are people working on restoring Nicole, who's been offline since Robotnik's attack, and no-one can find her portable backup! I swear Chuck; I'm doing everything I can right now. Please don't be angry."

The young fox sniffed deeply, attempting to blink away the tears that were forming at the corners of his eyes. Sir Charles had yet to move, but as he watched the boy who was like a son to him let his emotions flood out his heart began to ache and a lump grew within his throat. He stood up slowly, Tails unable to see him as he buried his head in his hands, and walked around the table to the fox's side.

"I could never be angry with you my boy." He said comfortingly as he knelt down and wrapped his arms around the young Tails in a fatherly hug. "And I'm sorry; it wasn't fair for me to blame you."

"I know all about what you did to save King Elias and the Freedom Fighters, I understand how hard it must be and I'm sorry." Tears no longer eked from Tails' eyes as all his sorrow fled from the hedgehog's warm embrace. "You boys are the closest I've ever got to having children of my own, you're everything to me."

Sakura watched unseen and teary eyed from the door. She knew that she had to tell Tails about her imminent transfer, but after witnessing what had happened between the two males she couldn't bring herself to interrupt their time together. Smiling she withdrew and walked back to the small bar set up near the stage.

-0-

Julie-Su and the Chaotix walked slowly after the blacked cloaked echidna who led them deep into the stone pyramid of the Brotherhood of Guardians. Their footsteps echoed loudly off the walls, but none of them, not even Espio's highly attuned hearing could pick out the echidna's footsteps as he walked ahead.

"Can I ask you something?" Julie-Su asked the strange echidna carefully. He glanced at her, his blood-red eyes suddenly standing out against the shadows surrounding them.

"To ask questions is to expect answers, to hear an answer is to gain knowledge. I have no reason to trust you, therefore I will not divulge of my knowledge. You may ask your questions, just don't expect an answer." The sharpness of his response caused Julie-Su to pause in her steps, almost making Vector walk right into her.

"Did it just get colder in here?" Mighty muttered. Although none answered his question, they all understood exactly what he meant.

They continued in silence apart from the occasional terrified whimper from Charmy. Espio continued to scan the shadows around them, an odd feeling niggling in his head. Although they had been confronted by almost a dozen echidnas outside, he had yet to see a single one apart from their shadowy, unsociable guide.

They turned a corner and a shaft of light blared towards them causing eyes to squint and arms to rise as shields, and yet the black cloaked echidna was unfazed and simply walked through the opening and into the light beyond. The Chaotix cautiously glanced at each other, unsure of what they might be facing. Julie-Su looked them over once before plunging fearlessly after their guide.

"Come on." Growled Vector as he pushed his way to the front of the group.

As their eyes grew accustomed to the new level of light, the Chaotix breathed a collective breath of wonder and amazement. Torches flickered all around them as the stepped out into a wide courtyard overlooked by the glinting night sky. A strikingly tall monument jutted into the sky, and upon the summit, standing proudly was the shrine to the Master Emerald, its grand gem shinning brighter than any flaming brand.

"Wait. Why's the Master Emerald here?" Said Charmy, voicing the obvious question.

"A truly perplexing question my young apidae." Charmy yelped and dove for cover behind Vector's large form. The four of them turned to see an elderly echidna walking towards them using a wooden cane as support on his left hand side. His fur a an extremely earthy red, almost brown in colour, his dreadlock quills were looped with various coloured beads and he wore a simple white and brown robe and a pair of simple sandals. His blue eyes shone with knowledge and wisdom, his smile friendly and sincere.

"Who are you?" Vector demanded, although he was unable to keep the quiver from his voice. Espio could understand why Vector would be nervous, not even he had noticed the old man approaching, and none of them knew if there were warriors hiding, prepared to spring down upon them at a moments notice.

"Of course how rude of me, introductions." The old echidna laid a clenched fist over his heart and bowed. "I am Guardian Athair, and I welcome you."

"I have already met with your charming friend Miss Julie-Su, she is currently speaking with Guardians Thunderhawk and Spectre about the reasons behind your arrival." Vector shook his head and drew himself to his full height.

"The names Vector, and these are my teammates; Espio and Charmy." Charmy waved nervously while Espio simply nodded. "And this is Mighty, an old friend."

"Yeah, pleasure to meet you and all that, but what's going on with the Master Emerald?" Athair smiled at Mighty's blazingly irate tone, causing the ever short-tempered armadillo to grit his teeth in annoyance.

"This place was originally the capital of the Pachacamac tribe, protectors of the powers of Chaos and the heart of the third great civilisation. That was until the Nocturnus started their war. Chief Pachacamac and Magister Militum Dimitri had been at loggerheads for some time, so it came to little surprise when the Nocturnus turned on their kin in a war that almost destroyed us all."

As he spoke, Athair was leading them slowly across the stone tiled wide courtyard towards a small solid stone hut near the base of the monument. The Chaotix look around at the high rising walls pitted with holes through which some echidna's watched. Others stood upon platforms that jutted out. They were obviously a tribe trained for combat as several brandished spears and shields, even the women held weapons and by the way their eyes followed the strangers, there was no mistaking that the bows in their hands weren't there for show.

"Although the Pachacamac are the best warriors within the Albion Empire, Dimitri's Nocturnus had both numbers, and technology. It wasn't long before they had constructed a techno-fortress within striking distance of this sacred shrine. It was then that Chief Pachacamac attempted to use the forbidden power of the Master Emerald against Dimitri. Unfortunately, instead of saving his tribe, he destroyed it." They stopped just outside the hut and Athair turned to face them. "The wrath of the God of Chaos himself fell upon the land of Albion, slaughtering countless and annihilating much of the Pachacamac tribe before he was sealed back within the Master Emerald along with the young Priestess Tikal. That day saw this last bastion of echidna's torn from Mobius and into what the Nocturne called the Twilight Cage."

"We were saved, but at the same time we were lost. The last surviving Pachacamac echidna's remained here and became the first Guardians, for although the Master Emerald had vanished, it was by its power that we still lived, and we would protect that ideal and this sacred sight of ancient power for the rest of our lives."

"So, you guys have been living here where the Master Emerald used to be, training in case it ever reappeared, and with you guys' coming back, the Master Emerald has returned to its original resting place." Deduced Vector, a hand resting on his chin. "But if you were so weak, why didn't that Dimitri fella just wipe you out?"

"There are only theories, but my dear friend Nestor believes that due to the other volatile races within the Twilight Cage, and the disappearance of Dimitri left them too disorganised to worry about the remnants of a fallen tribe." A ghost of a smile flickered across the aging echidna's features and he lifted the hanging fabric that covered the stone archway into the small hut. "But we've always proven to be a right royal pain in the arse."

They entered, surprised to find nothing but bare walls as a greeting. Athair calmly walked to the wall opposite and tapped his cane against four different points.

"What's he doing Vec?" Charmy whispered into the crocodile's ear.

"I dunno." Suddenly the wall rumbled and parted revealing a flight of stairs descending down into the earth the way lit by flaming torches. "He was doin' that."

"There is clearly much to this Brotherhood that is hidden from the others, I suppose we should feel honoured that we are being trusted with the knowledge of these secrets." Athair glanced at Espio with a curious glint in his eye.

"True, there are secrets we keep and it is rare that outsiders are granted access here, however, if Brother Spectre believes that you should meet with Brother Hawking, then there are not many who would argue. Now quickly, you don't want your companion to face the Brotherhood on her own do you?"

As they reached the bottom of the stairwell the thin tunnel opened out into a wide dimly lit room dominated by a circular stone table. Standing closest to them with her back turned was Julie-Su; she was leaning on the table glaring at the three echidnas opposite. One was the black furred echidna, his crimson eyes glaring back at her, the corners of his mouth continually downturned.

Another, his fur a deep shade of purple, his dreadlock quills stylised with three long bang like quills jutting out from his forehead. He had a kindly face which sported a small, well kept white beard. He wore a simple blue half-robe with white trimmings and a pair of brown boots and a brown belt, from which hung several objects which none of the Chaotix could identify. He appeared rather disinterested with what was happening and was the only one to notice Athair and the Chaotix enter.

These two stood like guards of honour either side of an ancient looking brown furred echidna with a long white beard and bands of dark brown leather bound around his quills. He was leaning heavily on a thick wooden cane, and Mighty was surprised that he could stand at all.

"Brothers, we have guests." Stated the purple one and all eyes turned to see those who had entered. Julie-Su looked relieved that they had finally caught up, the black furred echidna simply glared at them and the older one, who Vector assumed was the leader, looked them up and down over the rims of his misshapen glasses.

"These are the ones I told you about." The black cloaked one growled.

"They don't look a threat to me, Spectre." Replied the purple one.

"Looks can be deceiving Thunderhawk!" Spectre snapped back.

"Enough." Interrupted the ancient echidna with clear authority. "I am Hawking, leader of the Brotherhood of Guardians. And you must be the Chaotix, who Miss Julie-Su has been speaking of."

Athair left them to stand beside his fellow Guardians and the Chaotix joined Julie-Su on her side of the table.

"Glad you guys could join me." She hissed.

"We were, sidetracked." Mighty whispered back.

"Julie-Su entered with a request for aid. We do not give our trust so easily, so perhaps you can tell us, why should it be given?" Hawking asked.

The Chaotix looked at each other. They all knew that Knuckles' life hung in the balance, and it was up to them to convince the Brotherhood to help save their friend from an unknown fate.

* * *

**Whelp, there we go. Shorter than I'd hoped, but it's there.**

**Next chapter will be focussing on Shade and her Scouts and maybe, just maybe we'll see ol' true blue back in the action.**

**Till next time folks.**

**-Corrupt TE-**


	35. Awaken to a New World

**Hello and welcome to the latest chapter of FntS.**

**I quite happy that I've managed to churn this one out on time, and here hoping that I can do the same next week.**

**And to Darth Litarius: First off, sorry for not doing this sooner but you have raised some very good questions which do need answering for all readers.  
1: I'm working from Shadow completing the "True Ending" as a "Neutral**** Hero" during the Black Arms Invasion.  
2: Sally's gone from royalty to secretary as a 'handshake' if you will, between the Acorn Kingdom and GUN. Ergo, Sally has been given a high position, secretary to the Commander and therefore technically second-in-command of GUN, for continued "friendship and cooporation" between the two political/military powers.  
****And 3: Yes I have played Sonic Chronicles, and I throughly enjoyed it.**

**Anyway, hope you enjoy this latest chapter.**

* * *

Using the dark of the night, Shade led her small squad of Nocturne Scouts through the back alleys of the city, moving swiftly and silently to avoid unnecessary detection. Twice so far they had to utilise their training to hide in plain sight, although they had been aided by the obvious intoxication the locals were under.

Shade and Tilus directed the scouts with curt hand gestures, deeming that until further knowledge of the technology they'd be facing that they would keep radio silence except in the most important of circumstances. This of course left Shade with plenty of time with her jostling thoughts.

What were they expecting to find out here? So far there had been little in the way of security and what little they had seen appeared primitive and easily overpowered or negated. Some of the technology they had seen was interesting, but due to the rapid advancements required to survive within the inky darkness of the Twilight Cage, that technology was obsolete. Indeed, the only thing which she saw these primitive locals having on their side should the Imperator make a push for war, was numbers.

All throughout the mission her thoughts had been drifting back to the problems she had left behind for others to deal with, pangs of guilt sparked each time, along with the stern expression that Knuckles had worn when she left him caged like an animal in the dungeons.

She shook those thought from her mind and focussed to the task at hand. Her original mission was simply to scout out the area and report back any and all information and weaknesses which could be exploited if the needs be.

At least that's what her scouts believed they were doing. From the whispers she heard, none of them were particularly thrilled about this espionage mission with one of them, Imrain of course, going as far as citing that they'd rather be preparing to leave Nocturne for a new life.

The moment they had returned to Mobius, escaping the constant struggle for survival within the Twilight Cage, the entire population was stunned into silence. The air had smelt so sweet, the wind blew gently across the courtyards for the first time in years and for the first time, the sound of birdsong and crashing waves was heard by hundreds of ears. A moment of silence followed by loud cheers and a rambunctious celebration which had to be swiftly quashed before it deteriorated out of control, but regardless, the message was clear. The Nocturnus wanted to escape the fighting, and they now saw their chance. Shade knew that it was only a matter of time before there was an exodus from that dark obsidian tower.

The Imperators mission was for her to route out weaknesses. Her mission was to find someone with whom she could discuss the integration of her people into the Mobian society. A mission that, if every discovered by the Procurator or the Imperator himself, would be seen as treasonous. That was why she had been careful to choose scouts who not only were remarkably skilled, but also who wouldn't turn on her when they learnt the truth behind her actions.

Tilus signalled for a halt and they all slid into cover. His fingers signed that he had found something. Shade slid out of her cover and silently joined the veteran scout at the mouth of the alleyway they had been scampering through. He tapped the side of his helmet, indicating that he wished to speak with her before removing it. Shade followed suite while signalling the other scouts to remain in cover.

"You were seeking a seat of power High Praetorian? I believe it is there." Shade followed his gaze towards the almighty tall building that dominated the centre of the wide street. Although the sheer size of it left her awestruck she kept her features straight. There was a symbol which stood out against the stark white walls, three rings of colour, black, red and blue which surrounded the large white letter 'G'.

"Certainly large enough." Shade commented. "But I'm not entirely sure if it's the correct place to go."

"Best to start somewhere and so far this is the closest we've come to a seat of power." Tilus stated in his usual low, gravelly voice. "But it is your call."

Shade glanced back up at the tall and imposing building, noticing that only a scant few of the windows had any light shining out from them.

"Very well, we move in quietly. With any luck we'll be able to move undetected."

"Forgive me for questioning your orders High Praetorian, but surely skulking in there as military scout will only diminish any courtesy we might receive if we walked in as emissaries to Nocturne." Shade turned her surprised expression on the veteran scout. He gave her a rare smirk, a glint of amusement in the corner of his eye.

"We've already completed the mission parameters set before us, to scout out the immediate area and report back any findings before seeking out the nearest major habitation area. Please don't look so surprise High Praetorian. I've led so many scouting missions that I know the various objectives by heart. We should be waiting for further instructions or returning to base, so my assumption is either you're operating via specific orders from the Imperator, or this is something that you feel you must do. Either way, you are my commanding officer and I'll follow your orders. And I doubt the others will need much convincing."

Shade couldn't help but smile, her confidence boosted beyond measure by the one man she had worried wouldn't take kindly to her actions.

"Thank you, Veteran Scout Tilus."

"Ma'am." Tilus slotted his helmet back on to once more hide his face from view. Still smiling, Shade waved for the others to form up behind her and strode out of the alleyway, her head held high. Pushing the symbol on her head band she reactivated her helmet.

Slowly, and somewhat nervously, the scouts emerged from their hiding places, Kalimbre requiring a curt hand gesture from Tilus to move into place. The half-squad formed up with two on Shade's left and the others on her right with Tilus marching just behind his commander.

Shade pushed open the glass double-door as she strode purposefully towards the person sat behind the desk in the middle of the wide reception; she knew that her squad would be checking for any possible threats, choosing targets and preparing various combat protocols if necessary.

The zebra looked up from his computer in shock as six strangely dressed people barged in. They all wore some strange style of black clothing, each sporting an odd symbol somewhere on their uniform. They all wore helmets, completely hiding whoever was underneath but it was the one at the head of the group that drew his attention. Although he couldn't see her face it felt like her eyes could see his every weakness, his every flaw.

"I wish to speak with whoever's in charge." She said when they came to a stop, still in formation. Her voice was as harsh as the zebra had expected it to be, but it also held a slight hint of softness.

"The Commander is currently in a meeting and is unable to see anyone." The zebra receptionist replied shakily.

"I am High Praetorian Shade of the Nocturne. And I suggest you get him out of his meeting, because what I have to say could very well be a matter of life and death."

-0-

"Sonic… Sonic?" The cobalt hedgehog yawned and stretched. His back ached even though he was lying on a soft couch his head propped up on the arm. Blinking away his blurred vision, Sonic looked about for the source of the voice. "Come on Sonic, are you going to get up or just lie there for the rest of the day?"

"I think I'm just gonna lie here." He replied wearing his trademark grin. Amy walked into his line of sight, placed both hands to her hips and stared down at him with a quirky grin of her own.

"I don't think so Sonic. Everyone's coming round later and we've got so much to do!" In a sudden movement she yanked the pillow out from under his head, giggling as his head banged against the less comfortable wood of the arm before tossing it back at him.

"Okay, okay, I'm gettin' up!" As he stood, Sonic looked at his surroundings. He was standing in the middle of his own living room, the light blue painted walls, the old wooden flooring which he got the idea from Uncle Chuck, his set of chairs and the long four-seat couch which he had just vacated. On the walls hung various framed photographs of him and his friends, some had faded over time but the same smiling faces looked back, undiminished by the passing of time. Through the windows shone a glorious sunny day, with blue skies, birdsong and the rustling of the trees all filtering through the double glazing.

He smiled as his eyes fell upon the girl who had woken him up. Her jade green eyes sparkled back at him. It was then Sonic noticed what she wore, and confusion reared its head. She was wearing a set of light blue medical scrubs, just like the ones worn by nurses and trainee doctors on that medical show he caught every now and again. Even her head band was the same shade of blue.

"Hey Ames, are we playing doctor or something?" He asked in a light-hearted tone at odds with what he was feeling.

"Don't be silly Sonic, now could you please go to the shops to pick up that meat we ordered." She turned away and walked off in the direction of the kitchen leaving behind a very confused hedgehog.

"Uh… yeah, sure." Grabbing a jacket from the coat stand he kept by the front door, Sonic opened the mahogany door and stepped through it. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath of this sunny day finding the air stale and dust ridden.

He coughed twice to clear his lungs before he could reopen his eyes, finding himself alone in a long, ill-lit metallic corridor. He spun around only to find his front door, house and Amy gone and replaced by another corridor stretching off into the darkness.

His heart sped up and his breathing got heavier. Slowly he put one foot in front of the other and began to walk down the eerily familiar corridor. His footsteps boomed back at him and a faint beeping sound echoed, right on the edge of his hearing. With eyes darting everywhere and heart hammering in his chest nineteen to the dozen, the suitably freaked out hedgehog made his way slowly towards the end of the corridor and the sliding door that couldn't quite close fully.

When he reached it, the door ceased its feeble attempts at closing and automatically slid open like it had been waiting for him. Stepping through the door slammed closed, sending out a wave of sound that had Sonic cringing and holding his ears.

He looked around at the large round room. Debris littered the floor, broken computers and smashed robots. From the walls hung still sparking wires and great gouges of metal had been stripped and now lay in piles on the ground and steam still puffed fitfully from metal grated air ducts.

"We were too late." Muttered a deep, miserable voice. Sonic's eyes focussed immediately on the source and he saw a figure huddled near the edge of the room. "I failed."

Sonic carefully picked his way through the debris until he was close enough to recognise the figure.

"Shadow?" The ebony hedgehog made no move as his cobalt counterpart moved closer. "What's going on Shadow, what are you talking abou-"

Suddenly he saw what Shadow was holding in his arms and bile surged up Sonic's throat, threatening to sally forth from his mouth. He swallowed hard as he tumbled back from the macabre sight.

Shadow stood slowly and turned, still holding the bloodied and lifeless form of Rouge the Bat. Her flesh had been flayed too ribbons and if it hadn't been for her unblemished face, Sonic would never have known it was her. Blood still dripped from her many thousands of cuts, soaking deep into Shadow's fur and mixing with the teardrops that feel from his eyes.

"I trusted you to get us through Sonic." He took another step towards him and Sonic tumbled back into the debris in his attempt to get away. "We were too late, Sonic."

One of the air ducts began rattling, the metallic cover flying off and landing with a crash in a pile of broken metal. Shadow continued as if nothing had happened. "And now there is nothing to do, except to await death."

Suddenly a long serpentine tail whipped out from the now open air duct and arched into the room, wrapping itself around Shadows neck before hauling him and Rouge's body back up and into the darkness.

"Shadow!" Sonic couldn't believe what he'd just seen. Shadow had done nothing to prevent himself from being taken by the, whatever it was. Not even a yelp or cry of surprise, he didn't even struggle.

Terror descended on the cobalt hedgehog and with sending his survival instinct into overdrive. Feet whirring, kicking up dust and debris, Sonic dashed back through into the long corridor of metal, wanting to get as far away from that place as possible. He sped around a corner and had to skid to an immediate halt when a bright light blinded him. Arms swept up to shade his burning eyesight.

He staggered a few paces as he rubbed at his eyes, blinking hard as they adapted to the harshness of the light now assailing them. The wind howled around him throwing dust and sand into the air. Sonic spun around trying to orientate himself to this new environment but he was forced to throw himself to the ground to dodge a knife that spun through the air.

He rolled onto his back and flipped back up onto his feet, eyes quickly searching for where the weapon had come from. He spun around in place, dust and sand obscuring his vision, and the beeping sound getting louder and louder. One last turn and he came eye too eye with a pair of venomous yellow slit-eyes.

He yelp, sitting bolt upright. The bright yellow eyes were gone; the swirling dust cloud was gone. And yet the beeping persisted.

His eyes quickly scanned his surroundings. The walls a light green, shaded by closed curtains against the night sky. The bed he was lying in was both soft and comfortable. The smells that reached his nose were those of disinfectant and sterilisation.

A painful twinge and he looked down at his own body, at the thick bands of clothe wrapped around his chest. Beads of sweat trickled down his forehead and speckled his arms. Another twinge and he laid back. Wiping the sweat from his brow he looked back over the room once more, now that his nerves had calmed down slightly. The door opened and in walked someone who made his heart, and the accompanying beeping race.

"Amy?" The sakura hedgehog yelped in surprise but quickly regained her posture. She looked at him, first with disbelief, then confusion before her face creased with a broad smile and tears sparkled in her eyes.

"Sonic?" She rushed to his bedside and for a moment the cobalt hero was expecting her to dive on top of him, but she stopped, her hand swiftly seeking out and grasping his. "You're awake. They said you wouldn't wake up for days!"

Sonic couldn't help but grin. "You know me Ames, never really like keeping to a schedule."

Amy smiled back, she dearly wanted to hug him, to show how much he meant to her, but she knew that any stressful movements could tear the stitches in his chest.

"Where's Shadow and Rouge?" He asked suddenly. "Last I remember is… staring at the sunset, and thinking about everything I still wanted to do in my life."

"Shadow's fine, Rouge on the other hand. When I went to visit her she was, depressed. She barely even acknowledged that I was there." Amy shook herself out of her slightly melancholic state and smiled back down at Sonic. "But other than that, everyone's safe and sound. I was more worried about you."

"You don't have to worry about me Amy, I'm not going anywhere." Sonic reassured her with a wink. He was slightly worried by the grin he got back.

"Very true Sonic. Doctor's orders are that you can't do anything strenuous for at least two weeks."

"Two weeks!" He cried in despair. Amy nodded her head.

"Two weeks. And I'm going to make sure you don't do anything stupid. Well, too stupid anyway." Sonic went to fold his arms behind his head, but thought otherwise when a twinge of pain flashed through his chest again.

"Alright, so you've got me at your mercy. What now?"

"Now?" Amy sat down in the nearby chair and shuffled closer. "Now I've got to fill you in on what you've missed."

"Can't be much." He said with a smirk.

"You'll be surprised."

Just then the door was thrown open again and a trio of blue dressed anthro stormed in, panic written over their faces. As soon as they saw him sitting up in bed they pulled to a stop looking rather sheepish.

"Yes?" Asked Amy, a harsh coldness in her tone of voice.

"Apologies Miss Rose, Mr Hedgehog. Your stats suddenly went haywire, and we thought, that… there was… something…" The attendant trailed off as Amy's withering glare bore into him. One of the nurses coughed in an attempt to ease the building tension.

"As you can see, everything's perfectly fine. Sonic's awake and one of your colleagues said that he was healing up quickly." Sonic had to fight not to smirk as Amy verbally beat down the poor attendant.

"We'll um… we'll let you umm…" The attendant stammered as the trio swiftly made for the door and the safety of the hallway beyond. As soon as they were gone both hedgehogs degraded into fits of laughter.

"Oh man! That's so much funnier when I'm not on the receiving end." Sonic managed to say in-between gasps for breath. Amy grinned back.

"I'm so glad you're okay Sonic."

"Yeah, me too." Amy giggled and squeezed his hand. "So… what've I missed?"

* * *

**Told ya I might bring back Sonic.**

**Things are starting to come to a head in FntS.  
Bloodshed, romance, warfare, death and maybe Shadow and Cassie will be able to finish this case!  
****All this to come.**

**Stay tuned.**

**-Corrupt TE-**


	36. Breaking InOut

**Hello all! Yes I am still alive though sometimes even I wonder...**

**Anyway new chapter, so read and enjoy.**

* * *

Sally Acorn breathed a sigh of relief as she sat down for what felt like the first time in hours. The day had seemed to just go on and on with little signs of slowing down.

"Hey Sally." The exhausted squirrel looked up at the hedgehog who had been a solid and dependable friend all day long. "I'm heading home, and by the looks of things you should be doing the same."

Sally smiled.

"You're right, Megan." She stifled a yawn. "And anyway, I'm leading the relief effort tomorrow."

"Not quite the family reunion you were expecting, eh?" Megan said with a grin, one which Sally mirrored.

"No, not really." A short spell of silence drifted through the once hectic and noisy, but now deathly silent panic room.

"Come on, let's get out of here before something else happed."

With an unladylike grunt, Sally pushed herself to her feet and stretched her arms above her head. Catching her sleeveless blue jacket which Megan tossed over, she turned her back on the now blank screen and followed the flip-flop wearing hedgehog out.

As they walked through the staff room towards the lockers and freedom, the sight of a half dozen black armoured anthro made them pause. Each wore a featureless helmet which concealed their faces and species from view, but by the way they held themselves it was clear they weren't the type to be trifled with. The one with the most intricate armour, and who Sally assumed was the leader, was speaking in harsh tones with one of the night officers about meeting the Commander. The four GUN guards were clearly nervous about being in the same room as them with one of them twitching towards his holstered weapon every time one of the armoured strangers made a move.

"Don't get involved." Megan whispered urgently and swiftly ushered Sally from the room before they were noticed.

"What do you think that was about?" Sally asked once they had left the room behind.

"I don't know, and I don't really want too." Although extremely curious, Sally had a distinct feeling that whatever was going on, she couldn't afford to get involved, not with New Mobotropolis in need of her help. But knowing her luck and how she was GUN's second in command, she'd be dragged in sooner or later.

-0-

Losis's eyes followed the two retreating anthro until they fled around the corner.

"Look at these fools." He turned to face Kalimbre who was eying up the GUN guards nearby. "They are meant to be the best this world has to offer? Please! How haven't they been destroyed or enslaved yet?"

Losis had never worked with Kalimbre before and was swiftly seeing him as a frontline soldier who was just sneaky enough to make it as a scout. In other words, he was Shade's attack-dog of the squad. Losis on the other hand was much more reserved, known by others for his remarkable accuracy with the pulse rifle, which was currently holstered across his back, and his self reliance.

He had been part of the failed first invasion against the N'rrgal, when the strike force he was in got practically annihilated, leaving very few survivors including Losis himself. They had gone in full of bravado, certain that they would easily defeat a race of glorified slugs, but numbers proved otherwise, and in terrifying clarity. If it hadn't been for Losis and his shear stubbornness to give up, those few survivors would have perished in that Chaos-forsaken slime hole.

"This is just one small part of a large world Kalimbre." He replied sagely, drawing a glace from the nearby Renaile. "There is still much we do not know. Don't be so quick to judge."

The Nocturne were speaking via their internal communication system, meaning that no-one else could hear them, but body language and the gestures Kalimbre was making were easily understandable.

"Maybe, but they're obviously more advanced than those pulsating blobs were." Kalimbre then snorted in sadistic amusement. "They're frightened; you can almost smell their sweat."

"Wouldn't you be?" Renaile chimed in. "I mean, we're secretive, demanding, obviously well trained and armed, not to mention the way High Praetorian Shade is making that one quiver in his boots. We're clearly a force to be reckoned with."

Losis smiled, although his helmet hid it from view. Kalimbre snorted again but that was one of his main means of communicating agreement, via indifference. He looked back over to his commander, who was flanked by their scout leader on one side and Imrain on the other.

Imrain. The youngest and least experienced of the squad, but she had shown an almost natural affinity to melding with the shadows. Losis was good, he was very good, but Imrain made him look like a new inductee when it came to not being seen.

"You can't just walk in here making demands to speak with the Commander!" Scolded the GUN officer, trying to sound more brave and confident than how he was feeling, those expressionless helmets made his skin crawl.

"I go where I please! And if you will not send for your Commander, then we will find him for ourselves!" As her words reverberated around the small room, the GUN officer and his guards drew their pistols and pointed them at the armoured echidnas.

"I can't allow that, and if necessary we'll-" He never got the chance to finish his sentence as Shade's clenched fist connected rather forcefully with his nose. In a flash, the Nocturne leapt forward, they disarmed the guards and had them unconscious on the floor in moments, before any of them had even managed to get off a shot.

Shade squatted down next to the stricken GUN officer who was holding his bleeding nose whilst staring dumfounded at the unconscious forms of his guards.

"Now, I'll only ask nicely one more time. Take me to your Commander, I need to speak with him."

-0-

Knuckles rolled his shoulders and slowly released his breath. In, out, in, out. Listening to nothing else except his own heart beat, he meditated.

He had no idea what the time was, how long he had been in that cell, whether Julie-Su had managed to contact his friends, what was in store for him. Hundreds of questions looped through his mind, all beaten back by his slow, methodical breathing.

Slowly, slowly, over the course of unknown hours he gathered and pooled tiny amounts of Chaos Energy from the still concealed Master Emerald. Knuckles was thankful that Dr. Zachary hadn't risked entering the cell with him, keeping to the safety of using laser and projectile based experiments on the captured Guardian.

Soon he'd have enough to attempt a long thought out and discussed escape attempt. Tikal's presence was a constant reminder of the importance of his escape and subsequent freedom away from this dark fortress.

He knew that Julie-Su and her sister, Shade might well be trustworthy, but he had lived his entire life relying on no-one but himself. Could he now trust complete strangers? No. Not since Robotnik's trickery many years ago. Still, he was willing to trust those who disliked Dr. Zachary or Imperator Ix. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. And in this prison, friends and allies were in short supply.

"*Lord Chaos suggests that we move swiftly. It is unlikely that we will remain hidden much longer.*" Tikal's ghostly voice had within it a tinge of panic. The Master Emerald and the spirits within became filled with unrest when kept away from the open sky for a long period of time.

"*Not much longer.*" The Guardian breathed, mainly in an attempt to keep Tikal calm.

Although he could feel the build up of energy coursing through his being, he couldn't be sure it would be enough to destroy the energy barrier keeping him cage in, for although he had a vast knowledge on the powers of Chaos, only hedgehogs and their natural abilities could utilise the teleportation powers of Chaos Control. Echidna's could only channel the power of Chaos in the manipulation of the elements, fire being the most predominant.

After a few more moments of preparation, Knuckles stood, focussing all his absorbed energy to the palms of his hands, his quills began waving wildly, almost like they were caught in a heavy gust of wind. Small sparks began to flash between his fingers before a ball of bright flame erupted in the air between his hands. Forcing his palms together against the raging flames, Knuckles slowly compressed the energy, causing the flames to grow hotter and hotter until the heat haze began to melt away thin layers of rock around him. His fur began to singe and sweat poured down his body, but still he held on. The white fabric of his gloves began to blacken and burn away, his eyes squeezed closed in concentration.

Finally, with an exasperated cry, he thrust his palms towards the bars of his cell. The energy field stood defiant for a brief moment before it was overwhelmed by the ferocious power that crashed against it, the metal bars swiftly melting away to congeal on the floor. Almost immediately an alarm sounded and Knuckles raced to the stairs and left behind a cell of melted and blackened stone with a perfect circle melted into the stone floor where he had been standing just moments before.

Up the steps he went, three at a time, slowing as he reached the precipice. The alarm echoed along the obsidian hallway he found himself in, and the sound of hurried footsteps was steadily getting louder. He darted across to a small alcove and remained there in silence as half-a-dozen Nocturne soldiers rushed passed and down the steps towards his jail cell.

Quickly and quietly, Knuckles slipped from his hiding place and jogged the way the soldiers had come. He kept low, scanning everywhere for any signs of a Nocturne or a way out. Twice he had to duck into a shadowy corner to avoid being seen, he felt unusually drained from channelling Chaos energy, it felt like he had been using his own natural energy to escape, not the power of the Master Emerald. It was almost like it wasn't, whole.

"*Tikal, the Master Emerald. Is it still, whole?*" He asked cautiously.

"*If it wasn't surely Lord Chaos and I would've been released. Why do you ask?*" Knuckles crept forward, sticking close to the walls.

"*It's nothing.*" He said quickly, slipping into an alcove as a pair of Gizoid's rushed passed followed by another half-a-dozen cloaked, gun-toting Nocturne.

It wasn't nothing. It was an odd feeling that wasn't too dissimilar from what he felt when the Master Emerald was shattered and the shards scattered across the GUN Federation.

"*It's something that's clearly troubling you.*" Knuckles gritted his teeth. Now was not the time.

"*I'm sorry Tikal, but I need to concentrate if we're going to get out of here without being caught.*"

"There he is!" Knuckles looked back as five cloaked and masked Nocturne aimed their pulse-rifles at him.

"Bloody typical…" The crimson furred echidna turned and ran as bolts of energy streaked passed him, several bolts slammed into and dissipated against the stone as Knuckles raced away, leaving behind blackened marks and sending chips of stone flying.

-0-

Vector waited, hunkered down between a thick tree trunk and a fern bush. A few feet to his right was Espio, hidden so expertly that Vector couldn't be sure if he was still there while Julie-Su, and Guardian Spectre were hidden in the cover of the undergrowth on his left. Some way behind them were Charmy and Guardian Athair with two dozen Brotherhood warriors, all waiting for a signal to move forward.

They had all been surprised when Guardian Hawking had agreed to help them in freeing Knuckles, Spectre had been rather vocal in his opposition to the idea but was quickly silenced. Now they had gathered just south of the Nocturne fortress, where Julie-Su said they'd be able to sneak in through the soldier billets, with Hawking, Guardian Thunderhawk and Mighty taking a further two dozen warriors to cause a distraction with hit-and-run tactics on the main gate.

"Can you hear that?" He called to Julie-Su in a hushed voice. Just on the edge of hearing was an odd wailing sound ghosting through the air.

"It's the alarm!" Julie-Su was suddenly up and running, but what caught Vector flatfooted was that Spectre was running with her.

"Wait up!" Vector clumsily crashed after them, not even noticing Espio running next to him.

"What's happening Vector?" The usually calm chameleon shouted as they chased after the two echidna's ahead of them.

"I dunno Espio! Why don't you ask them?" The crocodile growled back. Espio gave Vector a cursory glance before darting ahead, easily catching up to Spectre and leaving his leader far behind in no time. "Hey!"

"What is that sound?" Espio asked as he came shoulder-to-shoulder with Julie-Su.

"The alarm! Hawking shouldn't have started his distraction yet, something's wrong!"

This was good wasn't it? If the alarms were already sounding it either meant a riot, meaning they could sneak in and save Knuckles while the soldiers rebuked the rioters, or that Knuckles had managed to escape, which meant all they had to do was find him and get out before the Nocturne found him. If it was all so easy and simple then why was her heart thumping so hard in her chest?

They sprinted through the courtyard entrance, there were no guards to stop them and the only Nocturnus around were running back and forth for houses too handcarts, carrying various belongings. One of them saw Julie-Su and jogged towards her holding what appeared to be a bundle of clothing in her arms.

"Julie!" The pink furred echidna turned with a look of surprise.

"Perik? What's going on?" Espio and Spectre dashed over to the entrance of the great obsidian tower, taking up positions at the sides.

"Whatever's happening, we're using it to get out of here." The terracotta furred echidna waved on hand at a small group who were loading up a large cart which usually was loaded with food stuffs, but was at the moment housing piles of cloths and furniture.

"We?"

"Well, a lot of us are taking this opportunity to leave the island. We're going to start a new life wherever we can." Julie-Su was about to ask something else when another echidna called Perik over and she jogged away.

Just then, Vector finally caught her up. As soon as he stopped near her he doubled up in a fit of wheezes, clutching his hand to his chest.

"Vector, did you hear that?" Julie-Su asked, a hint of excitement betraying her nervousness. The exhausted crocodile could only look up as his lungs heaved. "Perik and the others are leaving Nocturne."

"So?" Vector managed to say in-between gasps.

"So that means the echidnas will rejoin society! Shade and I have always wanted something like this to happen! It's fantastic!" Julie-Su jumped up and down in excitement.

"But what happens when they run into Athair and those Brotherhood warriors then, eh?" Vector's grin bordered with the sinister and his words caught the joyful pink echidna short.

"You're right; someone should go with them to make sure the Brotherhood doesn't attack them." She suddenly looked at the reptile with her own smile that unnerved Vector greatly.

Moments later the leader of the Chaotix Detective Agency was walking at the head of a train of Nocturnus echidna's and their belongings with his shoulders hunched and a miserable expression on his face.

"Why did I open my big mouth…?"

"Standing here does nothing to aid our mission." Spectre growled as he and the chameleonic ninja watched the last of the escaping Nocturnus fade into the trees. Espio could understand the echidna's point of view, having felt the same way on many missions with the Chaotix, but even though he understood Spectre's standing, he couldn't bring himself to agree, instead opting for silence. When he didn't get a response, Spectre grunted and slipped into the foreboding obsidian fortress.

Julie-Su continued to wave off the people she had known as neighbours and friends for several years until they were far beyond her sight. She wiped a stray tear from her eye before facing back to the task at hand.

"Where's Spectre?" She asked wide eyed. Espio answered with a nod through the entrance.

"He's gone on ahead. And we'd better catch up; it won't be too long before Hawking begins his assault." Having said that, the Chameleon followed in Spectre's footsteps. Julie-Su took a deep, shuddering breath before drawing her twin-barrelled photon blaster and diving into the place she once called home.

* * *

**As you've probably guessed it, next chapter is going to have some good ol' fashioned violence in it.**

**So... yeah um... ****Minds gone blank...**

**Till next time!**

**-Corrupt TE-**


	37. Rescue?

**Chapter 37 is up!**

**I promised some violence last time and I now deliver!  
Political intrigue, veiled threats and a good ol' fashioned punch-up.  
Enjoy.**

* * *

Shade marched half a pace behind the GUN officer, who was still holding his nose, along a brown carpeted hallway with two of her scouts, Losis and Imrain close behind her. She had left Scouts Kalimbre and Ranaile under the command of Tilus, watching over the incapacitated guards. As they marched along, it was clear from the worn down strips of the carpet that this particular hallway was rarely traversed.

Upon reaching the end of the hallway they turned into a small reception area dominated by a large dark wood door with a single desk and chair situated to one side.

"He's through there." Muttered the broken nosed officer pointing at the door. He cautiously walked up to the door and knocked. "Sir?"

The muffled voices beyond the door stopped abruptly.

"I gave an order not to be disturbed unless it was something of utmost importance!" Boomed an enraged voice, deep and resonating. The officer flinched back.

"I'm sorry Sir, but this is of utmost importance." A moment of silence followed before what sounded like a muffled apology.

"Come!" The GUN officer hesitated slightly before gripping the door handle and pushing open the heavy wooden door.

As soon as she was able, Shade strode past the GUN officer and straight up to stand before the wide desk, behind which sat a grey haired human with a stern expression and a piercing gaze. He sat up straighter when the three strangely armoured anthro marched into his office, glancing at each of them before focussing on the one which was obviously the leader.

"What is the meaning of this?" He demanded. At some unheard signal all three of them removed their helmets, two by simply unclasping them and lifting them off their heads, while the one in the lead pressed the symbol on their forehead causing the helmet to slide together, interlocking back into a thick headband.

"I am High Praetorian Shade of the Nocturnus." The leader said. "And I have a warning for you."

Both the GUN officer and the Commander were speechless for a moment as three previously believed extinct echidnas reviled themselves. The Commander quickly shook himself out of his stupor.

"Leave us." He said in a dark voice which sent the GUN officer scrambling away as quickly as he could. Leaning forwards he eyed the three echidnas. "What is this warning High Praetorian Shade?"

Shade was slightly taken aback by how quickly the human recovered. "A-as you probably know, the echidnas have been returned to Mobius. We are here to warn you that the Nocturnus military leader may well be planning an assault against you."

"So you decided to betray your people and warn me." The Commander said suddenly, striking Shade silent. The other two echidnas glanced worriedly at their commander. "How can I trust that what you say is true? This could all be a ruse to distract me from the real threat."

The Commander leaned back in his high-backed chair and rubbed the light stubble on his chin thoughtfully. "There have been some interesting turns of events recently but yes, I do know about Angel Islands recent, expansion. What troubles me is how this event has come about. And what exactly it means for the rest of Mobius."

"It means you must prepare yourself. Even as we speak the forces of Nocturne could be preparing to march down upon you. We are but the initial scout force, there will undoubtedly be more."

"You speak as if your people have seen nought but war." The Commander interjected in a calm and controlled voice.

"With respects, that is all we have known. But there are those amongst my clansmen that wish for a simple life, away from combat and military regime." Shade explained. "I come to you with this information in hopes that you can help make that wish a reality."

"Well now, that does change things somewhat. Some of your people wish to seek asylum from a harsh regime, which I believe the Mayor would gladly give, but what exactly do you believe I can do to help facilitate this?"

Shade was lost for an answer. She had only led her scouts here because it appeared to be the seat of power and leadership in the city, but now this Commander had spoken of a Mayor, perhaps this man sat before her wasn't the one she needed to speak with.

"I am the Commander of the Guardian Unit of Nations, a military police force to uphold peace and to combat threats to that peace." The human said, as if he could tell what she was thinking. "If these Nocturne leaders are a threat then they shall be dealt with. For matters of the people, it is the Mayor of Station Square who takes action. All I am prepared to do is observe how this situation changes, and take action accordingly."

"But what if the Imperator marches Nocturne troops into your land?" Shade said, barely keeping her voice level, although everyone in that small room heard the tiny quaver of panic in her voice. The Commander's expression turned dark and serious.

"Prey that he doesn't."

-0-

Mighty slid into the cover of a low black stone wall just as a flurry of bright blue energy bolts peppered the ground where he had been just moments before.

Guardian Hawking's distraction force had pushed much further that initially expected, catching the Nocturnus flatfooted and off guard. But now that a number of officers, Praetorians and High Praetorians according to Guardian Thunderhawk had arrived, their unprecedented advance had stagnated and they were now getting bogged down by tenacious defenders and increasingly accurate fire.

Mighty couldn't believe the fighting skill of his comrades, nor their stubborn reluctance to simply give up. He had seen a warrior take three of four energy blasts, only to stagger back to his feet and continue the fight, and the accuracy of the Brotherhood archers and gunners was simply uncanny.

The purple furred Guardian slid in next to the armadillo wearing a calculating expression. Silently, Thunderhawk pulled a small device from one of the pouches on his belt and threw it over their piece of cover. The sound of surging electricity reached Mighty's ears and the Nocturnus fire ceased, giving three nearby warriors the chance to break out from cover and move forward.

"Tell me Mighty." Thunderhawk shouted over the thunderous sounds of battle. "Have you ever fought in a battle like this before?"

The armadillo flinched as a new fusillade of energy blasts ricocheted from the black stone wall they hid behind.

"A couple of times against Dr. Robotnik, and once against some coyotes when I was in Downunda." He winced as a blast sent a small shower of stone chips flying in all directions.

"Then I shall consider it an honour to fight by your side." As soon as those words had left his mouth, Thunderhawk leapt over the wall and charged. Mighty took a moment to register what had just happened before charging after the purple echidna.

In moments they reached the embattled line of Nocturne and Brotherhood with Thunderhawk leaping straight into the fight and before he knew it Mighty was fighting toe-to-toe against an armoured warrior wielding a wickedly sharp curved blade.

Reacting purely on instinct, Mighty dodged the wide sweep of the blade and drove his fists, one after the other into the warriors chest, crumpling armour and cracking ribs. Grabbing the stricken warrior around the waist he charged, using the added weight as a battering ram to plough through the next few warriors.

He began striking out at the Nocturne that surrounded him, feeling blows strike his back, his sides, a few to his head but he kept on fighting. Suddenly something struck his face with such a force that sent flying back off his feet.

Looking up groggily he saw several brown bipedal robots advancing swiftly on the Brotherhood, who instead of facing this new threat, grabbed the injured and unconscious and began to fall back. Thunderhawk and another echidna grabbed Mighty by the shoulders and began retreating, dragging the armadillo with them.

The Nocturnus swiftly gave chase, blasting at the retreating Brotherhood with gusto as the strange robotic war machines advanced indomitably towards them.

Looking around Mighty saw and counted eleven echidnas including Thunderhawk and the warrior at his shoulder. Where were Guardian Hawking and the others?

-0-

Julie-Su and Espio rounded the corner into another deserted corridor. Whatever Guardian Hawking was doing, the distraction was working extremely well. Although they had yet to find Guardian Spectre. The alarm was still blaring and the sounds of battle filtered through the thick obsidian walls.

"Might I suggest that we focus on locating and freeing Knuckles, and not wasting time in pursuing Guardian Spectre?" Espio stated rather flatly. Julie-Su had to agree with him, partially because she was glad to be rid of that creepy Guardian but mainly because she wanted to find that crimson echidna she had promised to look after.

"You're right. But it's not going to be easy. When I left him, Knuckles was locked in one of our high security cells protected by some of Dr. Zachary's most advance shielding. There's no way he could've-"

She was suddenly interrupted by the spattering of blaster fire striking the wall at the end of the corridor where it cornered towards the dungeons and robotics laboratories. Around which rushed the last person either of them were expecting to see, Knuckles the echidna.

"Knuckles! How did you-"

"No time! Run!"

Not needing any more advice, the three of them bolted away from the sizable hoard of Nocturne and Gizoids which were pursuing the red furred echidna.

Lashings of blaster fire flew past them, smacking into the walls, the ceiling and around their feet as they ran. Knuckles grunted and stumbled as a bolt of energy struck him in the shoulder but he was instantly back up and running. Espio spun in mid-step and flung a pair of kunai at their pursuers, striking one in the leg sending him tumbling to the floor and one of the robots in the chest which just carried on completely oblivious to the knife now stuck in its chassis.

"We're almost at the exit! We can lose them in the jungle!" Julie-Su shouted, as they sped round the corner.

They skidded to a stop at the clicks of weapons being cocked as a half dozen Nocturne levelled weapons on them. At the lead was High Praetorian Remington, and he pointed his solid-slug firing heavy pistol at the pink furred echidna.

"Velite Julie-Su. I should've known you'd be the one to turn traitor." The pursuing Nocturne caught up and trapped the trio between two walls of weapons. Knuckles and Espio were both weighing up their chances and were not liking the odds. Julie-Su looked at Remington pleadingly.

"Remington, please…" The brown furred High Praetorian glared at her, the barrel of his weapon un-moving.

"I am very disappointed in you Velite Julie-Su." All of a sudden his finger squeezed the trigger and the loud shot boomed around them. Everything was still, and for that brief moment Julie-Su thought she could she the solid round making ripples through the air as it sped towards its target. The round struck home, right through the forehead of the Gizoid on her left hand side.

Time suddenly sped back to the norm as the Nocturnus warriors with Remington gunned down the other Gizoids and took the weapons from the other warriors. Julie-Su, Espio and Knuckles stood dumbfounded as Guardian Spectre stepped out of the shadows. Remington smiled.

"I can't believe you didn't try to contact me." Unable to contain herself, Julie-Su leapt forward and hugged him out of sheer relief. His cheeks turning a deep shade of red, Remington glanced at the warriors behind him, some of whom were sniggering under their breaths.

"Spare your celebrations for later." Spectre's dark voice brought Julie-Su back to earth and she quickly stepped away from the embarrassed High Praetorian. "Hawking's attack is being pushed back and Athair is preparing to cover his retreat even as we waste time here!"

"You're right Guardian Spectre." Said Remington before turning back to the trio still attempting to figure out what was happening. "After we spoke Julie-Su, I began gathering together those who shared in our longing, and frankly I was surprised at how many there were. These warriors with me are but a few, many more await us in the billets."

Giving a quick hand signal to his warriors, who took up positions around the prisoners, Remington, Spectre and the others began jogging towards the exit. Spectre came to Knuckles' side.

"You are the one who all this is happening for?" Knuckles glanced sidelong at the black furred echidna, feeling like he was being critically examined.

"I guess. Who are you?" Spectre remained silent for a moment.

"You have power in you. Perhaps this wasn't a wasted effort after all." A flush of anger surged through the crimson echidna.

"What does that mean!" Spectre smiled, but from where Knuckles was standing that smile looked decidedly sinister.

"All in due time." Knuckles growled as the black clad Guardian sped up to run near the head of the pack, while Espio dropped back to his side.

"Who is that guy?" Knuckles demanded.

"Spectre of the Brotherhood of Guardians. And it was on Julie-Su's suggestion that we sought their aid." Answered his long-term friend and ally. "Without them, rescuing you would have proved problematic."

"I was doing fine on my own." Knuckles muttered.

"No doubt you were and you can tell us about it once we are safe." The distinctly larger group burst from the long obsidian corridors and out into the starlit night, where they stopped as Remington rallied together dozens of Nocturne, both armoured and cloaked. The prisoners were herded into one of the deserted houses and placed under guard while Julie-Su and Spectre followed Remington.

"Where are the others?" Knuckles asked his chameleon friend.

"Charmy stands with Guardian Athair with a secondary force of warriors and Vector was sent as escort to a group of Nocturnus civilians to ensure Athair and his forces did not engage them. As for Mighty-"

"Mighty's here?" Knuckles exclaimed in shock.

"Indeed. As for Mighty, he is assisting Guardians Thunderhawk and Hawking in the distraction assault."

Knuckles was silent for several minutes, feeling truly humbled by the help his friends had given and were still giving, and by how swiftly they had come to his aid. He grinned and looked at his friend.

"Once a Chaotix, always a Chaotix eh?"

"Chaotix getsumatsu made." Espio answered, and although he kept his features neutral, Knuckles couldn't help but notice the glimmer of amusement in the corner of his eye.

They stood in silence for several minutes, watching as their new Nocturne allies rushed around preparing to leave the obsidian fortress behind when a thought occurred to the once lone echidna.

"The world's changing, Espio." The chameleon glanced at Knuckles before returning his gaze to the rush before them.

"Indeed it is. However, the question is: is the world prepared for this change, and if not, how will it adapt?"

* * *

Translation:

Getsumatsu made – Till the end

**Yes, Espio does speak Japanese.**

**Well that was fun to write.**

**Next update might be delayed for a while as a holiday in the countryside beckons.**

**Till next time!**

**-Corrupt TE-**


	38. Battle for Albion

**Hello all! I'm back!  
Had a great time out in the countryside, feel completely refreshed.  
Also got a chance to write this chapter for you.**

**This chapter is the climatic conclusion to the echidna storyline!  
There'll be violence, there'll be betrayal, there'll be death!  
But first, a history lesson.  
Enjoy.**

* * *

They only had time for ten minutes rest before Remington called to march. A plan had been devised between Guardians Spectre and Athair, who had arrived with Charmy and a dozen warriors shortly after their escape from the fortress, and the Nocturne High Praetorian Remington, with Julie-Su acting as an advisor.

A swift head count had Espio guessing near about two hundred Nocturne. Soldiers marched alongside midwives and healers, farmers and weapon smiths, children and elders. And beside him stood his long time friend and ally, the one who he readily would drop everything to charge to his aid, someone who he trusted with his whole life. And he would have given anything to know what he was thinking at that moment.

"Knuckles." They both turned to see the tall and imposing form of Vector striding towards them, flanked by an elderly looking echidna with a walking stick. The echidna was obviously not of the Nocturnus clan. "This is-"

"Guardian Knuckles." The crimson echidna cocked an inquiring eyebrow as Vector muttered something under his breath. "I am Athair of the Brotherhood of Guardians, and I must say that it amazes me to find a living Guardian beyond the confines of the Twilight Cage."

"What are you talking about?" Knuckles asked, perhaps more sharply than intended but even Espio flinched at the bark in his words. The old Guardian however simply smiled.

"You no doubt have many questions, questions which we will gladly attempt to answer. But now is not the time." He turned and beckoned for Knuckles to follow. "But for now, Remington and Guardian Spectre would like to hear your views on our situation."

Knuckles looked to the chameleon who shrugged before walking off towards the throng of echidnas dragging the crocodile along with him. Knuckles turned back to Athair.

"Why would they want to know what I think?" He asked walking at Athair's side.

"Simply because you were here before we arrived, by the crescent marking on your chest and on the assumption that you are a descendent of the Pachacamac clan, you are a member of the brotherhood."

"But I've never even heard of your brotherhood!" Athair chuckled.

"That does not surprise me. The Brotherhood of Guardians was founded by Steppenwolf after his uncle Dimitri attempted to use what little remaining Chaos energy in an attempt to free us from the Twilight Cage. Needless to say his attempt failed." They stopped just outside a small house near the exit into the surrounding jungle and watched as the echidnas flocked passed.

"You see Knuckles; the Argus Event not only tore Albion from its home but also somehow corrupted what little residual Chaos Energy that remained. Dimitri and his brother Edmund were scientists of high calibre, and together they researched the energies of the Twilight Cage and any possible return to the world we had lost. But even the closest of siblings are the greatest of rivals.

"It is not certain how the civil war began, but what is true is that on one side was Dimitri, and on the other was his brother. Dimitri led a vast amount of loyal followers, the first of the Nocturnus into a bloody war that claimed the lives of hundreds. Edmund rightly opposed his brother, stating that Chaos Energy would destroy any who attempted to use it, but his words fell on deaf ears. He stood defiantly against Dimitri's soldiers at the entrance of the Emerald pyramid, the first of the Guardians. But he was a man of science, not of war, and was cut down without mercy."

"Why would Dimitri kill his own brother? Surely blood is a bond much stronger than beliefs!" Knuckles cried out in disbelief. Athair looked at him sadly.

"If only that were true, Knuckles. However, although Edmund was Dimitri's enemy, he still held a deep love for his brother, and upon learning of his death it is said that he went into a fearful rage. Gathering up all the Chaos Energy he could muster, he attempted to reverse the Argus Event, but instead he disappeared in a great releasing of energy which destroyed Echidnaopolis. From the ashes and rubble rose the Nocturnus, to rebuild and survive. But Edmund's son, Steppenwolf and many others left that dark place for the Chaos pyramids. Steppenwolf took on the mantle of Guardian, just as his father had done, and vowed to keep the Nocturne from using Chaos Energy, but above all, he vowed to keep true to his fathers teachings and ensure the survival of Echidna race. Thus gave rise to the Brotherhood of Guardians."

Knuckles looked up to the echidna beside him who met his gaze with a smile.

"Come, if we stay here much longer I'm sure Spectre will just charge off as usual." Knuckles followed Athair in silence. Was he truly a member of this brotherhood? Could he really trust these so called Guardians? Why did Athair trust him so readily? Why did they come to his aid when he was nothing but a stranger? What did all this mean for the Master Emerald and his duty?

"About time." Knuckles looked up into the faces of three others, Remington, Julie-Su and the black cloaked echidna, Guardian Spectre.

"Perhaps now we can end this discussion and relieve our fellow Guardians." Spectre's red glare was focussed on the young crimson Guardian as he spoke; clearly he had disliked having to wait for them to return.

"Not yet Guardian Spectre, I'd like to know a little more about the man I have defected for." Spectre turned on the High Praetorian with lightning speed.

"There is-"

"Calm yourself Spectre!" Snapped Athair in a tone with more authority than could ever be expected from one of his demeanour. Spectre snarled but stepped down nonetheless. Athair took a deep breath to calm himself before turning a smile on the two Nocturne.

"My brother Guardian is correct however. There is a time and place for all questions, but it is not now. We must contact, and if necessary provide aid to Brothers Hawking and Thunderhawk." Julie-Su glanced at Knuckles who kept his place, unmoving beside Athair. "It is clear to me now that our time on this island is coming to an end. Spectre, you will take half of our warriors back to the pyramids and gather the rest of the brotherhood."

"You don't mean for us to flee Albion do you, Athair?" Spectre demanded through gritted teeth. The elderly Guardian bowed his head.

"We may indeed come to that my friend." Athair answered gravely. "And if we do, I want you to lead the brotherhood away. And I know that Hawking would agree."

To Julie-Su's surprise, Spectre's expression changed from his permanent scowl to one of humble acceptance.

"Now, High Praetoria-"

"Not anymore Guardian." Remington interrupted with a raised hand. "I've defected and betrayed my clan. I am no longer worthy of such a title."

"An admirable trait to be sure, but let us be honest. These Nocturne look to you for leadership, Remington. I hope you don't disappoint them." The brown furred Nocturne turned his eyes to the ground in a moment of silent contemplation.

"He's right Remington." Said Julie-Su resting a hand to his shoulder. "They need a leader, and you're the one they'll look too."

As the steady thump of marching feet sounded past, Knuckles couldn't help but feel the sense of hope which floated think on the air. Hope for a change, a new life, but also for an escape from the norm, away from a harsh existence and to a chance to actually live instead of simply surviving.

"It is decided then." His eyes snapped back to the small group suddenly realising that his attention had drifted away as his thoughts wandered to future possibilities. Remington was the one speaking, one hand massaging his temple.

"Guardian Spectre will return to the Guardian pyramid to gather the rest of the Brotherhood, while Julie-Su and her Chaotix allies will escort the Nocturne civilians to the new world. Guardians Athair, Knuckles and the Brotherhood warriors will accompany me and my Nocturne soldiers to rendezvous with Guardians Hawking and Thunderhawk." A chorus of agreements sounded. Athair patted the black cloaked echidna on the shoulder before Spectre stalked away to follow his orders.

Remington and the elder Guardian headed of discussing the finer points of the plan as Julie-Su came up to Knuckles' side.

"Everything's happening so fast." He muttered just loud enough for her to hear. "So far my life has been rather stagnant and unchanging. But now…"

He couldn't shake his gaze from the throng of echidnas still processing through the gates of the compound. He could see Vector, standing head and shoulders taller than those surrounding him. He was leading a small group of Nocturne soldiers acting as prison guard for those few still loyal to the Imperator. Espio was stationed near the entrance into the obsidian fortress along with another small group of soldiers. They were obviously kept there should any opposition come through those halls, and remain there as rearguard until they were away.

"I never thought that anything like this would happen." He admitted freely. Part of him, a large part rejoiced that he was no longer the last of his kind. But another was hesitant to accept that this change was anything other than for the worse.

"Neither did I." Julie-Su agreed. Knuckles looked sidelong at her. "But Shade never lost hope. She would spend hours talking with Nestor the Wise, the archivist, about everything we knew about Mobius and Albion before the Argus Event. She used to tell me what she'd do when we escaped the Twilight Cage, but then she was given command over a scout squad and her dreams were overtaken by reality."

There was a distinct note of sadness as she remembered who her sister had been. She faced the crimson echidna, her eyes fixing on his. "I saw a shimmer of that when I saw her with you, that hope, those dreams, it all came back. Please don't disappoint her."

She walked away, waving and shouting something at Charmy and leaving Knuckles with more thoughts and emotions sweeping through his mind than he could understand. A shout from Remington shook him from his thought provoked stupor and he jogged after the High Praetorian, thankful that something had come along for him to focus his mind upon. But a small niggle in the back of his mind wouldn't leave him be.

-0-

"Fall back!"

Mighty vaulted over a fallen tree as blue energy bolts flashed overhead. The arrival of those earthy brown combat robots had turned the tide against the Brotherhood, and all the ground they had taken was slipping back through their fingers.

The single female echidna who shared this small piece of cover rose next to him and loosed a barbed arrow towards the oncoming wall of robotic fury, by glancing over the wooden barrier Mighty saw the arrow strike one, and bury itself into the chassis of its target, but do little else than stagger it.

"What are those things?" He shouted over the noise and the chaos.

"Gizoids! Robotic creations of the insane Doctor Zachary!" She fired a second arrow which did just as much as the first.

"How can we take them down?"

"Usually there is only a single Gizoid per Nocturnus squad, making it easier to bring numbers against it and destroy it!" Mighty spared a moment to stare at her.

"Well that's a comforting thought!" He shouted back, his words dripping with sarcasm.

"They can be defea-" A stray or lucky shot struck the tree they were behind just by her head, the shockwave blasting her unconscious and to the floor. Mighty cried out in shock as three Gizoids leaped over his piece of cover, turning their glowing, lifeless blue eyes on him.

Reacting purely out of armadillo survival instinct, he dashed towards the nearest one and delivered an uppercut to its chin, putting as much of his incredible strength behind the punch as he could muster.

The armadillo's of Mobius had always been admired for their strength, said to be second only to that of the echidna's, and Mighty had trained extensively for many years with his Masters as well as Knuckles, and any who would teach him over his travels.

And so, as his fist connected with the metallic chin of the Gizoid, all of his training finally proved its worth as the Gizoid's head was separated from its body.

Time seemed to slow down for the armadillo, sounds became muffled and movements appeared sluggish, and everything he could see was in perfect clarity. He quickly studied the movements of the two other Gizoids and delivered a kick to the still standing body of the headless robot, sending it flying into one of the others.

Three steps brought him close to the remaining upright robot, ducking under one swing and twisting away from another, he hopped into the air, giving no thought to the arrows and energy blasts whipping past him, and brought both clenched fists down onto the Gizoid's metallic skull. He heard the snap of cables, the crack of metal and watched as the blue crystal like glass of one of the eyes shatter and spring free from the eye socket. The Gizoid buckled under this vicious strike, with the joints within its left leg breaking and its power core rupturing, it collapsed to the ground.

Loosing no time, the armadillo grabbed the unconscious echidna, hefting her firmly into his arms and ran towards the tree line where the other Brotherhood echidnas were gathering. He saw Thunderhawk throwing more of his strange devices and firing a small energy weapon towards the advancing Nocturnus line, warriors fired arrows and struck out at any Nocturne or robot that advanced too near and Hawking was fighting several Gizoids at once, using his cane to batter anything that ventured too near, looking nothing like the old man he had seen in the Brotherhood pyramid.

As Mighty ran more Gizoids and Nocturne soldiers appeared behind him, leaping over the fallen tree and dashing past three disabled Gizoids. None of them could have known about the ruptured energy core.

For one brief moment the battlefield became still and silent as a bright blue flash lit the sky and the landscape, and then the roar came. The Gizoid power core detonated with such force that it vaporised any unfortunate Nocturne and Gizoid too near and sent others flying through the air like they were ragdolls, leaving nought but a smoking crater in its wake. Mighty was flung to the ground by the shockwave, holding tightly to the echidna in his arms he twisted midair to land on his shoulder and roll with the impact.

Ears ringing and shoulder throbbing with pain, Mighty staggered back to his feet as grasping hands hauled him towards the Brotherhood line. Hands reached out for the echidna still held in his arms but he refused to let her go. Words were nothing but deep resonating noises to his still ringing ears.

Shouts of surprise sounded and fingers pointed off into the distance. The armadillo turned to see something happening to the Nocturne line. The line faltered and then buckled entirely as a small force struck their flank, coming from around the obsidian fortress itself. Soldiers looked around in confusion as cries of panic sounded from dozens of throats.

Before he knew it, cheers erupted from the Brotherhood around him and the Nocturne were running back towards their techno-fortress. He at last aloud someone to take the echidna warrior from him and stared dumbfounded as the grinning form of Knuckles strode towards him flanked by Espio and Vector.

"What are you doing here?" He called as they neared. Knuckles clapped him on the shoulder and even Espio smiled.

"We were in the neighbourhood and thought you could use a hand." Vector answered with a toothy grin.

"You aren't even meant to be here." Knuckles retorted, to which Mighty raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Hey! We came to pull your tail out of the fire! We're not about to let you walk back in without some backup."

"Where's Charmy?" Mighty asked, looking about for any signs of the hyperkinetic bumblebee.

"We left him in Julie-Su's capable hands." Espio answered simply.

"Yeah. He wanted to come but there's no way I was lettin' him fly into a warzone!"

"Wow! Vector being a responsible adult! There's a first." Mighty joked, earning grins in reply.

"I know we do some dangerous stuff, but I also know when too much is too much. Besides, I don't want to get on the bad side of his mother do I?" Espio nodded sagely as Knuckles chuckled.

Something caught the crimson echidna's eye and with a swift apology he jogged away.

"What's going on?" Mighty asked his two friends as he watched Knuckles join the Guardians along with someone who appeared to be a Nocturne officer. "And what's with those Nocturne?"

"They're allies, defectors from Imperator Ix's regime." Espio answered.

"There's loads of 'em, a good few hundred I'd say." Vector added.

"Indeed, and in addition to the entire Brotherhood preparing to leave Angel Island-"

"Or Albion, as they call it." Espio glared at the crocodile's interruption.

"Indeed. It seems that there'll be many changes in the next few days."

"That's if we get out of here alive." They turned to see the echidna who had spoken pointing back at the Nocturne fortress and the vast force of warriors and Gizoids that were now streaming towards them.

They must have numbered nearly two hundred. Gizoids made up the majority, but it wasn't just the simple bipedal combat pattern that they had just faced. There were Gizoids that stood taller than their counterparts that charged forward, carried on large spheres and wielding vicious looking spears, centaur like creations that forged ahead of the main advance with long lances replacing one of their arms and being ridden by Nocturne warriors, and three hulking constructs powered forward by large tracks, bristling with cannons.

At the centre of the advance was a single floating dais, upon which sat the Imperator himself on a technological throne, flanked and guarded by Doctor Zachary, fitted out with a cybernetic blaster arm and targeting relay over one of his eyes, and Procurator Lien-Da bearing a blaster and her long bullwhip.

"Well, this could be interesting." Vector stated rather flatly.

"Fall back!" Boomed the voice of Guardian Thunderhawk and immediately the entire force of Brotherhood and Nocturnus allies turned to flee into the ever thickening jungle.

The three Gizoid tanks opened fire with a steady thump of cannons, their shots tearing through trees and blasting apart the jungle, the explosions causing the fleeing allies to flinch back.

A wave of panic filtered through each and every one of the warriors and soldiers as the situation reviled itself. Certain death wherever they went. Cries of despair sounded and some chanced an escape through the trees only to be blasted to oblivion by the unrelenting firepower of the advancing Gizoids.

"Stand!" The echidnas faltered in their panic, eyes searching for the speaker. Guardian Hawking had stepped to the front, back turned to the oncoming tide of death, face set in grim determination.

"I know we all fear death! It is the one journey from which none have returned! If this is to be our end, if we are to be forced along that road, then we will make the price so high, that even the Chaos God himself would fear to pay the toll!" All drew themselves to their full height, Mighty caught a glance from the echidna he had carried to the line as she stepped up. "And I will be proud to make that journey beside you! My friends, my Brotherhood!"

No cheers sounded as Hawking's words echoed into the dawning sky, no cheers, just a determined silence as each and every echidna stepped forward to form a line facing the oncoming foe.

Vector, Espio and Mighty merged with the echidnas. Knuckles, Remington and the other Guardians stood at the centre opposite the gravity defying dais of the Imperator. Nocturne stood side-by-side with Brotherhood.

Together they would fight, and together they would die.

At some unseen signal the Nocturne soldiers and Brotherhood archers opened fire, their weapons spitting out barbed and flashing defiance from the line of stoic warriors. Remington's own handgun barked time and again, each shot downing a Gizoid centaur and its rider, his marksmanship unparallel. Those suited to close combat, including the Chaotix stepped forward to greet the charging centaurs and suddenly battle was joined.

The Brotherhood and their Nocturne allies only numbered around thirty, but each one fought with the skill and stubbornness of three or more, refusing to surrender any ground or blood without a cost.

Vector grabbed the lance of an onrushing Gizoid and used his strength coupled with the constructs momentum to throw Gizoid and rider over his head and crashing into the trees just behind, neither got back up. Espio vaulted up onto the back of another, slashing the throat out of its rider before turning his kunai and plunging it deep into the Gizoids head. Its legs buckled and it crashed to the ground, the chameleon flipping gracefully from its back, throwing a pair of ninja stars into another before landing. Mighty battered a lance away and drove his shoulder into the torso of a charging Gizoid. His footing remained sure, the Gizoid crumpling like it had charged headlong into a wall, sending its rider flying overhead.

All along the line the centaur charge was met with similar ferocity, as it was smashed apart like water on rock. A few defenders went down, impaled on lances or blasted by the riders but the rest fought on.

Any opposition that neared Knuckles, Remington and the Guardians was destroyed in moments. The ex-High Praetorian and Guardian Thunderhawk provided much needed ranged support while Knuckles fought alongside the surprisingly sprightly and deadly Guardians Hawking and Athair. Hawking was proving why he was still the leader of the Brotherhood despite his age with each opponent he defeated, Athair was wielding his walking stick like a blade, and like a blade it cut down whatever it connected with. The price for their deaths would be great indeed.

-0-

"Be careful Sonic!" Amy squeezed his arm tightly as the cobalt blue hedgehog steadied his feet.

"Ah don't worry Amy, I'll get used to it before ya know it." He was slowly walking even though countless medical professionals had advised him not to, although Amy had persuaded him to at least make use of a stick. They were steadily making their way along a hospital corridor, away from Sonic's private if not confining ward.

"You shouldn't be doing this yet." She said for the fourth time since they had left. Sonic chuckled happily as he limped alongside her, a hand clutched tightly to his stick and another which sought out Amy's smaller counterpart. As their fingers intertwined their eyes met and neither could have been happier.

She had always been there when he had opened his eyes, even if she had been sleeping and now a small part couldn't see him waking up without her.

They chatted about the past, joked about the present and mused about the future as they slowly made their way towards the elevator. Although Sonic had boasted that he'd be able to manage the stairs no problem, Amy had insisted that they avoid any stairs until the doctors gave the go ahead.

To save Sonic's sanity, but avoid any further injuries, they were making their way to the hospital roof in order to watch the sunrise over Station Square.

"I can't wait to be able to run again." He stated inside the mirrored metal box which carried them towards their destination. Amy smiled at him, recognising the longing in his voice.

"You will again." Her comforting voice bringing a smile to his face. They said little else as the small metallic box shuddered to a stop, the doors sliding open and greeting them with the reddening dawn sky. "Come on."

Carefully, led by Amy's gentle hand they walked to the bourdered edge of the hospital roof. The majority of the roof was covered with a large H indicating the landing zone for helicopters, various ventilation pipes were dotted about, some releasing steam into the chilly air leaving behind a steady hum of rotating fan blades.

The view overlooking the city was simply breathtaking. Tall skyscrapers jutted proudly into the sky, smaller red bricked period buildings which heralded back to a time before even King Maximillion Acorn, although surrounded on all sides by the imposing glass and concrete buildings of the new millennium kept their majesty. The shinning lights and flashing neon of the aptly named Casino Night Zone of the city still lit the sky although many clubs and Casinos would now be closed.

From where they were standing they could see the huge Emerald Gardens nature park, its lake had once been the only source of fresh water for the first settlers and now it provided one of the city's most popular tourist locations and the perfect place to simply relax. All this beauty was overlooked by the back of the City Hall and it wasn't uncommon for the Mayor himself to wander slowly through the gardens. Amy had met him once while seeking a place of solitude to read her book.

He had been on his own and it had taken her a few moments before she had realised who she'd been speaking with. He stated that he loved walking through the gardens to gather together his thoughts and to escape the ever present hangers-on that his position attracted. And Amy could see exactly why he chose to do what he did.

But it was out here, on the rooftop of the Station Square Hospital overlooking the city they knew as home, watching the sun rising slowly on the horizon that both hedgehogs realised that in an ever changing world there would always be something that they could hold on to. With this thought, Sonic turned to face the sakura hedgehog by his side.

"Hey, Ames?"

"Mmm?" She looked away from the view and gave him the full view of her beautiful features.

"I was thinkin', when I can run again, that you would, uhh… ya' know, like to um… go on a…" He was struggling to say the words in his head, although from her growing smile and the shimmer appearing beneath her eyes it was clear that she knew what he was trying to say.

"I love to Sonic." He breathed a great sigh of relief and his trademark grin spread across his face. "Just promise me something."

His grin faded and he looked at her curiously. "You won't run away and forget about me."

"Amy, that's a promise." There had been no hesitation in his answer, none at all.

They turned back to watch as the thin clouds made their way lazily across the sky and flocks of early rising birds take to the wing, and although it was chilly in the early morning before the suns golden gaze could warm the streets, neither felt the cold. Not while they were together.

All of a sudden the peace was broken by the roar of jet engines as they streaked through the air, behind them came the deep resonating chop of blades.

The two hedgehogs spun around to see a veritable flock of helicopters swooping through the sky. Numbering perhaps a dozen in total, there were the easily identifiable personnel carriers of the Chinook and the sleek, yet fierce apache attack craft. All bore the GUN emblem.

"Where are they going!" Amy shouted over the noise as the aircraft tore overhead.

"I don't know!" Sonic called back, feeling Amy wrap her arms around him as their quills were buffeted by the wind.

As they watched, all of the aircraft turned towards the Mystic Forest.

"Amy! Have you got your phone?" Her hand dove into one of her pockets and in moments a pink mobile phone with a sticker of Sonic's face on the back was revealed and handed to said blue hedgehog. "Maybe Tails knows something about this!"

Fingers jabbed swiftly at the digits and as the phone began to ring, Sonic and Amy went back to watching the ungainly metallic aircraft fly into the distance.

-0-

Tails muttered something which was lost to the pillow his head was buried in. His gloveless hand groped around in the darkness for his phone. Finally finding it, he looked at who was calling and grumbled as he pressed the answer button.

"What do you want Amy?" He suddenly jerked upright. "Sonic? No, I'm not at my house. I'm-I- Sonic! I'm at New Mobotropolis. What? I'll tell you later. What do you need?"

He listened carefully to his brother on the other end of the phone line, nodding his head occasionally. "I don't know. I-I've been here for a couple of days. Yeah, so I've got no clue. Look, I'll tell you everything I know when I get back. I dunno, later today maybe? Alright? Have you- have you tried Shadow?"

He laid back on the bed, his free hand going to his forehead. "Yeah, try him. Alright, yeah. Hanging up now. Yeah. See you later bro."

Groaning he unceremoniously tossed his phone back onto the bedside table and stared up at the ceiling. Right now he had more important things to worry about than GUN helicopters as his thoughts returned to the red furred vixen who'd managed to steal his heart, and the fact that she would be leaving so soon after they'd met.

-0-

Shade could barely sit still in the tight confines of the strange and noisy aircraft. The Nocturne had nothing like this contraption. She turned to face her scout squad, three of whom were sat opposite and the others two sitting either side of her, the rest of the twelve seats taken up by GUN soldiers.

"I know we all vowed to follow your orders High Praetorian." Losis shouted over the noise, his voice reaching her ears via their Nocturne communication devices inbuilt in their helmets. "But this is treason! Should this gamble fail, we'll all face the judgement of Imperator Ix!"

Kalimbre and Ranaile voiced their agreement.

"And if this gamble succeeds, we'll be freed from his tyranny!" She looked at each of her troops. "Isn't that what you want? A chance for a new life!"

They looked at each other, their body language hesitant and indecisive.

"I do." Imrain said meekly, her response almost lost in the scream of engines and whistling of the wind. Slowly, reluctantly, the others admitted the same. Shade was distinctly relieved and couldn't help but smile beneath her helmet.

"ETA four minutes!" Crackled the voice of the pilot as they soared over the same train tracks through which Shade and her scouts had used to infiltrate the city scant hours earlier.

"What I don't get is how this thing can fly!" Kalimbre shouted, thumping his fist against the side of the aircraft.

"That's simple!" Replied one of the GUN soldiers sitting nearby. "It's 'cause this things so ugly, the ground repels it!"

Although this joke was completely lost on the Nocturne, the other GUN soldiers laughed boisterously and began joking and chatting among themselves.

"How can they be so relaxed? We're about to enter a possible combat zone!" Mused Imrain.

"Maybe it's the way they prepare themselves. Much like you should be doing!" Tilus answered with a slight snap in his tone which caused the squad to begin checking their equipment again. Again Shade was pleased she had chosen him to be her sergeant.

Taking her sergeants advice she began checking her own equipment. First she made sure that the ballistics gel-layer beneath her armour was secure, before checking each piece of armour individually in well rehearsed patterns which she had performed so often that she no longer needed to focus on what she was doing. Running the tips of her fingers over the seals, she tightened and maintained any which felt out of ordinary, as she ran through various tactics and combat manoeuvres in her head.

"Get Ready!" The voice snapped her attention back to her surroundings and she could suddenly hear thumps and explosions, tale-tell signs of an ongoing battle. She flexed her wrists, activating the pinkish energy blades which leapt from her bulky wrist bracelets and deactivating them again.

The tailgate of the aircraft lowered revealing the treetops of Angel Island as they sped past, the sounds of battle increasing in volume substantially. They stood, following the lead of the GUN soldiers. The helicopter shuddered staggering them.

"Sorry 'bout that lads!" The pilot said and some of the soldiers laughed nervously. A red light switched on just over the tailgate, the ground getting nearer. Green.

"GO!"

Immediately the GUN soldiers thundered down the metal ramp, the lead few jumping a short distance to the ground, weapons levelled as the spread out with a military precision Shade had never seen. In moments she led her scouts after the GUN soldiers and out into the chaos of battle.

They had been put down on the left flank with six other Chinook's which swiftly took back to the air once they had discharged the squads taking shelter in their innards. Those squads spread out and began firing at priority targets, mainly the Gizoids which Shade had explained were the muscle of the Nocturne military, while others rushed to support the beleaguered line fighting with their backs to the jungles.

With shift hand signals Shade ordered her squad to make for that line, her sharp eyes picking out the locations of Praetorians and other Nocturne officers. Targets for elimination.

Sprinting ahead of her troops she fired of two energy blasts from her wristlets into the throng of Nocturnus soldiers and Gizoids which swarmed across the battle field. On the other side of the battle landed the other six Chinook's landed, creating two fronts which began squeezing the Nocturne forces in a pincer movement. The roar of engines screamed overhead as three GUN jets swooped over, loosing their payloads which struck the trio of Gizoid tanks enveloping them in balls of flame.

Laser and rifle fire whipped through the air in answering salvos, screams of pain and cries of anger sounded in the melee that raged nearby. All was chaotic, nothing stayed the same for more than a moment, voices shouted commands and Shade could see the frantic hand gestures of the Nocturne officers as they swiftly adapted to the changes in combat and the arrival of an unknown enemy force.

"Tilus, Ranaile, secure primary location! Losis, priority targets! Kalimbre, Imrain, with me! Strike hard and fast! Go!" The squad split with Tilus and Ranaile branching off towards a predetermined area which the GUN Commander had designated as the landing zone for evac-helicopters. Losis slipped towards the tree line, rifle in hand. His sniping skills would be coming into play as soon as he was settled. As for Shade and the other two, they made a beeline towards the thickest of the fighting, where the unmistakable shape of the Imperators floating dais could be seen nearby.

Kalimbre drew his combat blade with relish, increasing his strides to maximise his impact with the foe. When he neared the melee he dropped his shoulder and barged into the side of a close combat Gizoid. Imrain kept on the move, darting side to side while firing rapidly at the swarm of brown warbots. Shade flexed her wrists once more and her energy blades leapt into being.

She stabbed and slashed, left and right, no time for orders just a battle for survival, kill or be killed.

A plan had already formed in her head, cause as much mayhem to make the Nocturne forces fall back to reform and bring in the evacuation helicopters during the lull in the fighting to pull out, rescuing any allies in the process.

When she had received her sister's message about Knuckles' rescue and the subsequent defection of Remington and many other Nocturnus, she knew the Imperator and Procurator would move swiftly and decisively against this betrayal. But what had surprised her was the involvement of the Brotherhood of Guardains and their role in the rescue attempt.

When she had relayed this message to the GUN Commander, he had sent a call out to the military branch of his forces and before she knew it, she and her squad were bundled aboard one of the ungainly aircraft and Operation Swift Reprieve was put in motion.

She punched her blades through the helmet of a Velite and threw his body to the ground. There she saw an awe inspiring sight. Imperator Ix and one of the Brotherhood echidnas were locked in what appeared to be a battle of wills.

From his staff, the Imperator was firing the powerful and much feared Doombeam, but somehow the Brotherhood echidna, an ancient looking man was holding it back by the palms of his hands. The other combatants were giving this struggle a wide birth and she could see several fried bodies of Gizoids and echidnas who had been struck by a stray bolt of energy from that most destructive of Nocturne technology.

Doctor Zachary was fighting another Brotherhood. He was trying to bring his arm-cannon to bear on another old Brotherhood warrior, but every time the echidna battered his weapon away with a swift swing of his cane. It was like watching a duel between the greatest of swordsmen, neither could strike their opponent without opening themselves up for a counterattack, but both were waiting for the opportunity to do so. It was hard to believe that these two old men could move and react as quickly as they were, sometimes becoming simple blurs of movement.

Then she saw a sight which brought her heart to her throat. Knuckles, his fur singed and blood oozing from various cuts, fighting against the lithe form of Procurator Lien-Da wielding her barbed bullwhip and a curved Decurion blade which she must have picked up from one of the bodies, her blaster has nowhere to be seen.

She was laughing as Knuckles made clumsy counterattacks which she easily twisted and dodged away from. As Shade watched, Lien-Da flicked out her bullwhip which wrapped around Knuckles' left arm, the barbs biting deep into his flesh, she then stepped forward, bringing the Decurion blade upwards in an arc which would have ended the crimson echidna's life had he not leaned back at the last moment. But the blade did strike, leaving behind a horrid gash which tore across his chest and through the white crescent on his chest in a diagonal, ending at his right shoulder. He tried to stagger back but Lien-Da pulled him back with a vicious tug of her whip, still wrapped firmly around his arm.

Shade dashed to his aid, bringing her blades up to slice through the offending whip. Due to her being in the process of pulling Knuckles, the sudden amputation of her favoured weapon sent her staggering back, almost falling to the floor. When she regained her footing she glared down at her decapitated weapon and then up at Shade, her face filled with rage. She tossed away the now useless weapon and swapped hands, passing the Decurion blade to her right hand.

Shade spared a swift glance at Knuckles, who had dropped to one knee and was pressing his hand tightly to the dreadful wound across his chest, the remnants of the bullwhip still wrapped around his arm. She turned back to face Lien-Da just in time to see the curved blade flashing towards her head.

The Procurator had taken advantage of that moment of distracting and attacked in hopes to end the fight before it began, but Shade wasn't ranked amongst the top hand-to-hand fighters for nothing. She dropped to her knees, tilting her head back to avoid the wickedly sharp blade.

The tip of the blade caught her helmet, slicing across one of her eyes. Immediately the vision sensors sparked and fizzed, effectively blinding her. Shade rolled away, tearing her helmet from her head and throwing it to the ground. Lien-Da sneered at her.

"It's never just one is it?" She said, her voice cutting through the clamour of combat around them. "I knew when your sister betrayed us that you wouldn't be far behind."

Shade's heart thudded harder and faster at the mention of Julie-Su.

"No matter. Once I've killed you, I'll gladly hunt her down, and who knows? Maybe I'll be merciful and kill her quickly. But I doubt it." Lien-Da darted forward bringing her blade around. Shade threw one of her blades in the way, stepping under the Procurators guard as the curved blade met energy in a clash of sparks. Decurion blades each possessed a small grouping of energy cells which created a thin energy blade across the edge, making them one of the few weapons that could be used to counter the energy blades of Nocturne combat elite.

Shade punched out her other blade, but Lien-Da twisted and kicked her arm away before spinning around to deliver a roundhouse kick to Shade's chest. Shade slammed to the ground and rolled out from under the descending curved blade.

Suddenly another Nocturne appeared, driving Lien-Da back with wild and vicious attacks. Shade's eyes widened as she realised that it was Kalimbre. His blade flicked swiftly, turning aside Lien-Da's blade time and again as he forced her back step-by-step.

Shade used this turn of events to see to Knuckles. She slid to her knees next to him and he looked up in pained surprise, still clutching the pumping wound of his chest.

"Shade?"

"Don't speak, save your energy." She commanded, swiftly looking him over. She opened the hidden medical compartment built into the armour of her left thigh and produced a packet of medigel, designed to clot over wounds and to stop the bleeding by administering coagulants and chemicals to promote swift healing. She tore open the packet and carefully applied it to Knuckles' wounds. He hissed with pain as she rubbed the clear gel across his chest.

A gurgled cry caused Shade to look back at where Kalimbre had been fighting the Procurator only to see the tip of Lien-Da's Decurion blade jutting through his back. The Procurator dragged her blade free and pushed the brave traitor aside. By the way he fell it was clear to Shade that he was dead before he hit the ground.

Lien-Da's face was scrunched up in rage. Shade swiftly jumped back to her feet and drew both her energy blades, settling into a defensive stance. With a grunt Knuckles forced himself to his feet and clenched his fists in readiness, his face pale but determined.

Lien-Da charged forwards with murder written on her face. A high velocity shot boomed and Lien-Da was struck, her left arm separated from her body in a gout of blood before the shocked Procurator vanished in a flash of light, he emergency teleportation system sending her directly to the medical section back within the Nocturne fortress. Shade glanced back and saw a glimpse of movement as Losis repositioned for another shot.

With the loss of the Procurator, the Nocturne line buckled. Another high velocity shot blasted out from Losis' position, this one striking the Imperator himself. Although the shot was blocked by the small energy field which was generated by the large golden wristlets he wore, the floating dais swiftly withdrew to a rousing cheer from the Brotherhood.

In swift order the rest of the Nocturne and Gizoids turned and fled after their leader.

The GUN soldiers sprinted together to form a firing line between the Brotherhood and Nocturne as the Chinook's began to swoop back down.

With waving arms and encouragement from a tall crocodile and a purple chameleon, most of the Brotherhood and the Nocturne soldiers boarded the carriers which took back to the sky once they were full. Shade looped her arm under Knuckles' shoulder and began leading him to one of the waiting aircraft.

She noticed Losis jogging towards her, his favoured rifle still in his hands. With her free hand she signalled that she'd lost her communicator and that she wanted to contact her squad. He nodded and removed his helmet, handing it over before putting his shoulder underneath Knuckles' other arm and giving further support to the wounded echidna.

"Shade to squad, rally on my position." She commanded simply, hooking Losis' helmet to her belt.

As they reached one of the helicopters, a bloodied armadillo ran up and took hold of Knuckles, leaving Shade and Losis free to observe the continuing combat. Remington and several Nocturne and Brotherhood were backing up the GUN advance as the pursued the fleeing Nocturnus back into the obsidian fortress. As they went, several pockets of Nocturnus threw down their weapons and surrendered; these groups were swiftly overrun and escorted towards the landing area.

"Are you Shade?" She turned and saw the same armadillo walking towards her. He sported a nasty gash across his forehead and another to his side.

"I am yes."

"Knuckles wants you to ride with him." She took a double take, not noticing the slight hot flush that rose in her cheeks.

"I'm afraid I can't, I've got to see to my squad." Losis raised an eyebrow at the tone of reluctance in her voice but said nothing. "But please let him know that I'll find him shortly."

The armadillo nodded his head and turned back towards the helicopter, just as Tilus and Imrain arrived. Shade noticed that they both sported wounds and damage to their armour.

"Where's Ranaile?" Shade asked. She had already seen Kalimbre slain and didn't like the thought of loosing another squad mate.

"She lives High Praetorain, although she has been taken to a medical centre for immediate treatment." Tilus answered, his voice rasping through a heavily medigeled cut to the neck.

"As should you Sergeant." Shade reprimanded.

"Not until my officer is safely away from the field of battle." She nodded with a slight smile. Imrain was looking around, obviously searching for something or someone.

"Tilus, I want you on one of these airships and on your way to that medical centre." Shade continued.

"At your command." Tilus answered with a nod of the head.

"I am afraid to report Kalimbre KIA." She said, the words catching in her throat. Her three scouts reacted in their own way.

Imrain raised her hand to her mouth and whispered a blessing to the Chaos God. Tilus placed a finger to his forehead and then to his lips, a silent farewell often performed during frontline combat so as not to reveal location to the foe. Losis' eyes darkened and he raised his rifle to the sky and fired off a single round which echoed loudly despite the noise around them.

"Tilus, when you reached the medical centre, locate Ranaile and check on her. Also find where Knuckles is being treated."

"Knuckles, High Praetorian?"

"A Brotherhood warrior. He was fighting in the thick, holding the line almost individually. I wish to speak with him." Losis gave a knowing glance towards Imrain who smiled, hiding it behind her hand. Tilus straightened their faces with a stern look before bowing slightly to his commander.

"Your leave High Praetorian." He turned and went in search of a helicopter to take him away. Shade turned back to the two remaining scouts.

"If it wasn't for Kalimbre's intervention, Procurator Lien-Da would have slain myself and the Brotherhood warrior Knuckles. He died a true soldier and is deserving of the highest respect. Come."

She led them to where Kalimbre's body lay and knelt down. She turned him onto his back and removed his helmet. The ugly wound to his chest was ignored as his squad mates tended to him. Shade closed his lifeless eyes as Losis retrieved Kalimbre's weapons. Imrain folded his arms across his unmoving chest before placing his helmet over them.

"Find something to use to carry him. I won't leave him here." Placing Kalimbre's weapons next to him, Losis went to carry out his commanders orders.

"He fought against the Kron and resisted the Voxai mind control. Nothing could kill him, other soldiers were inspired by his mere presence." She recounted somewhat in awe. "I wouldn't believe it if I weren't here."

"Honour him later Imrain." Shade said quietly. She looked up as someone approached, surprised to find that it was the Brotherhood warrior who had been battling Doctor Zachary. He silently knelt down and gently laid his hand to Kalimbre's forehead.

"Ancestors guide you to the halls of your father." He whispered, spending a moment before rising again. Shade looked him in the eye and gave a thankful nod. The Brotherhood smiled sadly and went on his way.

Behind them another helicopter began to rise into the air, taking with it wounded and priority individuals. The Station Square hospital would be busy tonight.

-0-

The spattered sound of blaster and gun fire echoed through the dark halls, panicked footsteps thundered around every corner. Imperator Pir'oth Ix stalked swiftly past Nocturnus running this way and that, treating injured in the hallways because the medical bay was overcrowded.

He cursed the Brotherhood and their unexpected allies. The weapons of these soldiers who came from the sky were tearing through his Gizoid legions with frightening ease, not only that but two of the highest ranked and most respected officers had defected! High Praetorians Shade and Remington, with them a large portion of others. He estimated that defections, casualties and surrenders accounted for nearly four hundred, over half of the total population of Nocturne! And there was no knowing how many citizens had fled the fortress city.

An explosion sounded, indicating that the enemy had breached the blast door and had entered the fortress. It was only a matter of time until they had full control over Nocturne.

The order for evacuation had been given. Streams of echidnas rushed towards the shuttle bay. Some carried wounded, others hefted large packs of rations. Children screamed for their mothers and fathers, weary soldiers slumped against the walls. It was the unprecedented exodus, the final resort. A full evacuation of Nocturne.

Imperator Ix marched swiftly up the ramp and onboard the shuttle designated for echidnas of highest standing. The few High Praetorians still loyal, several other officers, Doctor Zachary looking over Procurator Lien-Da, emerged in a suspended animation tube for the journey. It was surprising that she had survived the combination of blood loss and shock, but she was well known for her stubborn will.

Ix strode past everyone and onto the command deck where he was met by two others, the white furred technomage Finticus and the leader of the Nocturnus, Kragok.

"Imperator." Karagok welcomed him with a stern expression.

The Grandmaster of the Nocturne was a tactful and vicious individual who had come to power through his fathers mysterious disappearance. His fur was a deep crimson, his left blue eye had been replaced by a glaringly red cybernetic eye as had his left arm. He'd lost both during frontline duty against the Zoah forces. It wasn't long after that incident when his father Luger vanished and Kragok took up the mantle of Grandmaster, elevating his twin sister Lien-Da to the lofty heights of Procurator. He now wore a long grey cloak with the hood drawn over his head, this was held up by a emerald and golden clasp, the symbol of the Grandmaster.

As for the silent Doctor Finticus, he was the greatest technomage of Nocturne, a scientist without peer. His expertise was in continuing the research of the great Dimitri, pooling together what little chaos energy that remained and experimenting in utilising the ever changing energy signatures. One such experiment backfired and changed his once crimson fur to the bright white it was now. His birth marks had become black rings, the sclera of his eyes becoming black as the darkest night and his irises changing yellow. His black cape gave him a suitably threatening silhouette and as the Imperator approached he slipped back into the shadows.

"Lord Karagok, we are prepared for launch." The Imperator replied with a bow.

"I'm disappointed Imperator." Kragok growled.

"Grandmaster, if it wasn't for the intervention of this unknown force the Brotherhood would now be decimated and our- your rule over Albion secure."

"And then we'd march victoriously into a Mobius willing to bow down in the wake of our return?" Ix took a worried step away. "Imperator, your fast strike methods worked well within the Twilight Cage, but here we face a full world, a world we know little of. We needed information before such an action could be taken."

"I followed procedure Grandmaster! A scout squad was dispatched with the task of gathering what information they could, and from their reports the local area was ripe for taking!"

"And it was that very squad which led our enemies to our door." Although his voice was calm and his stance relaxed, the Imperator knew that his Grandmaster was furious. And when Kragok was furious, people died. "Tell me Imperator, was there anything to indicate that High Praetorian Shade was liable to defect?"

"None Grandmaster." Pir'Oth Ix answered quickly.

"And what of my son, Remington?"

"His defection comes as a shock to us all, Grandmaster." Kragok's expression was unreadable as echidnas scuttled around the shuttle, strapping themselves into chairs and treating the injured.

Imperator Ix swallowed heavily. "There are also reports of Remington, leading the assault against us."

"Then he is no son of mine." The Grandmaster said darkly. He turned suddenly on the albino Imperator. "Sound the evacuation. We will find somewhere to lie low, strengthen our forces and learn what we can of Mobius."

"Yes Grandmaster." Imperator Ix turned to enter the separate cockpit.

"Imperator." Ix looked back at his leader. "Fail me again, and your head will become my latest trophy."

"Y-yes Grandmaster." The albino echidna couldn't get into the cockpit fast enough, the door slamming swiftly behind him.

"You were saying, Finticus." The technomage stepped forth from the shadows once more, his purple glasses perched carefully on the edge of his nose.

"He is secure Grandmaster. It is as I predicted."

"Are you sure?" Doctor Finticus sneered.

"His energy levels began to increase the moment we escaped the Twilight Cage."

"Good. Inform me the moment he regains consciousness." Doctor Finticus inclined his head a left through a darkened and underused side passage.

The tale tell rumble and cry of engines indicated that they had left the obsidian fortress behind. Kragok knew that this retreat could spell the doom for his people if they couldn't find a safe location to put down, but the choice had been made and now they all had to bear the consequences.

But even as the sleek black ships soared over the azure ocean, Kragok aloud a faint smile to grace his lips. They'd return. And when they did, the whole of Mobius would tremble.

* * *

**Foreshadowing is fun.**

**Sixteen A4 pages of FntS goodness and I hope you enjoyed it.**

**Next time will see a return to Shadow and an interesting development to the Assassination case.  
Stay tuned.**

**-Corrupt TE-**


	39. MEDIC!

**Damn you sunshine, you and your glorious warmth and sunbathing properties.  
Slightly late and not as long as I originally hoped but oh well.**

* * *

Rouge limped to her door and peered through the small window at the sudden rush outside. Nurses, interns and doctors were shouting, pointing and running this way and that. There was no coordination to what they were doing; it was like something had unexpectedly happened to suddenly and drastically upset the normalcy that they were used to.

Rouge opened her door and was hit by the noise of voices, rushed footsteps, the squeak of small wheels as nurses pushed along small trolleys stacked with bandages, packets and other medical paraphernalia.

"Excuse me?" She said in an attempt to attract someone's attention. It wasn't surprising however when no-one took notice.

"What's going on out here?" Another patient asked from their doorway. More and more were now watching this crazed bustle. Someone must have noticed their gathering as nurses and interns began to hustle patients back into their rooms. Rouge was about to close her door of her own accord when she caught a flash of ginger fur and red hair.

"Sheba!" The ginger feline turned at the sound of her name and Rouge noticed that she was wearing a set of blue medical scrubs over which hung a long white coat, she even had a stethoscope dangling from around her neck. She saw who had called her and limped towards the white bat, the rush of medical staff flowing around her like a river around a rock.

"What's going on?" Rouge asked when her friend was almost by her side.

"A GUN operation has brought in wounded." She answered simply. "You want to have a look? Grab your dressing gown and come with me."

Curiosity got the best of her and Rouge rushed to get dressed, being careful not to reopen any of her injuries or tear her bandages. When she at last emerged from her room she was wearing a loose hanging pair of white tracksuit trousers, a baggy red t-shirt and flat soled black trainers which one of Shadow had brought her on his last visit. Sheba cocked her head quizzically.

"I said grab a dressing gown, but whatever. Come on." The duo made their way quickly through the hospital. Any objections they met were swiftly silenced by a glare or a stern word from the ginger feline. As they passed through another set of double doors Rouge asked the question which had been eating away at her for some time.

"Sheba? Why are you dressed up?" Sheba glanced at her.

"Not figured it out yet?" The blank look she earned in reply was answer enough. "Some smartarse figures out who I am and I was press ganged into helping out."

She snorted in contempt. "These so called doctors couldn't organise a piss up in a brewery let alone a military grade triage centre!"

"Military grade?"

"Yeah, seems that this op was trickier than originally thought. Plus, we're dealing with something we haven't before." Rouge looked at her questioningly but Sheba held her tongue.

The double doors just ahead burst open as a gurney was shoved along rather unceremoniously by a nurse listing various injuries and what medicines and techniques that had been used. A second nurse jogged alongside holding up a pack of saline and a white coat wearing doctor rushed along opposite. But it was who was lying on the gurney that held Rouge's attention, a brown furred echidna.

She stared after the echidna even though Sheba had led her though the doors and the gurney was pushed out of site.

"That was…" She blurted out.

"Yep."

"But I thought…"

"So did everyone else. Alright, what have we got!" Sheba's raised voice caused Rouge to snap back round. They had arrived at the emergency ward to find it heaving with bodies. Rouge stared wide eyed at GUN soldiers sitting on beds, the floor, leaning on walls or just standing around aimlessly, most sporting some kind of injury. More echidnas filled other spaces, many looking worse off than their GUN counterparts, and they were dressed either in simple robes or intricate black armour bearing the clear signs of battle.

The smells hit her nose hard. Antiseptic, the tang of blood, the stink of singed fur and sweat. The noise was almost unbearable to her sensitive ears as people shouted to others, hurried footsteps thundered around, patients groaned and moaned, coughed and sniffled. But it was the sights that held her the most. The expressions on their faces were lost. Many were being tended to and they didn't take notice, just simply stared into space.

"Fractures to ribs three and five, number four is broken which has ruptured several veins and possibly pierced the left lung. We're waiting for confirmation to send her into surgery." Rouge spun around and saw a Dalmatian nurse leading Sheba to the bed of an unconscious echidna female.

"Waiting? No-no-no. No time for waiting! Get me some gloves and a scalpel." The ginger feline snapped rolling up her sleeves. Panic flashed across the nurse's face.

"You don't mean to perform surgery here, do you doctor!" Sheba glared at the canine.

"I'm not in the habit of repeating myself." The Dalmatian whimpered, clearly out of her depth and scampered away. "And find my college a coat!"

"C-college?" Rouge stammered.

"Well you are! And anyway, all hands to the pump. I know you've got medical training, all you field Agents do." Sheba began busying herself by looking over her patient and prepping her for surgery.

The Dalmatian returned in record time, pushing a small trolley of surgical equipment and a white coat slung over one shoulder.

"Thank you." Rouge said hesitantly accepting the coat.

"You stay with me." Sheba commanded the nurse. "Rouge, go work your magic on that lot over there. Nothing fancy, just bandage, stitch, make comfortable. Call me over if you need me."

Rouge turned away just as her feline friend picked up her scalpel and took a moment to centre herself. She pulled on the long white coat and grabbed a spare stethoscope from a passing nurse before diving straight to work.

* * *

Tails groaned and pushed himself out of bed. He'd been tossing and turning all night and since Sonic's phone call he hadn't been able to bring himself to close his eyes. His mind was in overdrive with everything that had happened in the past few days.

Sonic and Rouge had both been badly injured on a mission, Doctor Robotnik had attacked New Mobotropolis and had near enough destroyed the castle, almost killing Rotor, Antoine, Bunny and King Elias Acorn himself in the process. In panic for his old home and his friends, Tails had leapt into his ever reliable Tornado and flew full speed to help where he could.

It was shortly afterwards that he came into contact with the very vixen who laid heavily on his mind. A stunningly beautiful young woman whose relaxed, light-hearted and usually chaotic approach to everything had him staring on in amazement. She was the type who would try anything twice, someone who was prepared and willing to get their hands dirty, the type who would laugh at her own stupidity and whose smile could light up a room.

Tails went into the bathroom and poured himself a glass of water before catching his reflection in the mirror. He stared into his own eyes as memories reran though his head in perfect clarity.

He wanted to see her again, be with her again, and the thought that she would be leaving, sailing across the sea and into Mercia later that very same day wrenched at his heart.

"Is this what love feels like?" He asked his reflection solemnly.

He needed to talk to someone. But who?

Knuckles wouldn't have a clue what to tell him and Shadow would most likely start going on about how he's lost everyone he's ever loved, so speaking to him was out. Cream or Vanilla? No. It was too early in the morning. Amy would squeal and start going on about her Sonic. Sonic?

He walked slowly back into his room, sat on his bed and picked up his phone. Sonic had called him from Amy's phone, so it was logical to assume that he didn't have his phone at the moment. He started at the phone number for what felt like an age before finally he pressed the call button and raised the small handheld device to his ear.

* * *

Sonic paced around his room in ever faster circles. Amy had gone in search of someone to answer some questions a while ago and hadn't returned; assumingly she had been swept up in the madness that was rushing throughout the hospital. He wanted to see what all the fuss was about but Amy had made him promise not to leave the room. A point she made clear with the appearance of her Piko-hammer.

Rather than run the risk of facing Amy's wrath, he decided to swallow his pride and do as he was told for once. Although he'd be the first to admit that waiting around was maddening, and so when Amy's phone rang from the bedside table he jumped at the chance for something to do.

"Hello, how can I help?" He barked excitedly without even looking at the number.

"Hey Sonic." The cobalt hedgehogs' ears perked up at the sound of his brothers' voice.

"Hey Bro, what's up?" He sat down on the bed with a thump. "Thought you'd be soundo."

"Yeah well, I've got a lot on my mind."

"When haven't ya!" Sonic joked, earning a laugh across the phone line.

"I'm, well… I need some advice." Tails' voice was slightly shaky, a nervous tone coming across.

"Whatever you need bud." Sonic heard Tails sigh in relief and he repositioned himself on the bed to ease the growing ache in his legs.

"I… I've met someone."

"Way ta go Tails!" Sonic cheered; unaware of the mass amount of embarrassment he was causing the young two-tailed fox.

"Yeah…"

"So how is this someone eh?" Sonic's grin was broad despite the hesitation in his brothers' voice.

"He-her name is Sakura and she's an engineer in the Acorn Armed Forces." Sonic chuckled.

"She must be something to catch your eye."

"Yeah, she's something…" Sonic finally picked up on Tails' morose tone of voice and sat up.

"What's wrong Tails?" It was some time before the golden furred fox responded, the minutes seeming to drag by.

"She, she's being transferred to Mercia. Something about a joint building effort."

"When does she leave?" Sonic asked looking over at the small clock hanging on the wall.

"She wasn't clear on the specifics but… later today."

"Oh man Tails, tough break."

"I don't know what to do Sonic!" Tails wailed. Sonic bit his lip in thought.

"You really like her, right? Even though you've only known her for a short time?"

"Uh-huh." The young fox answered, slightly confused at where the question was headed.

"Well then, the answers simple!" Sonic folded one arm behind his head and leaned back. "You go with her."

"What? B-but Sonic!"

"No buts mate. You like this girl so much then go with her." Said the hedgehog grinning at his own advice. "Besides, you're old enough to take care of yourself. Hell, you've helped me out of several sticky situations. And if you can do that, you can handle jumping in at the deep end."

"But what about you guys? I can't just-"

"Stop right there Tails. If you keep taking one step forward and two steps back you're not gonna get anywhere. Sometimes you just gotta take a leap of faith."

"I… Thanks Sonic."

"No problem bro, it's what brothers are here for."

"I'll keep in touch."

"You'd better! And I want to meet this Sakura sooner rather than later, alright buddy?" Sonic was relieved when Tails began laughing again, the sound like music to his ears.

"I'd better go. Thanks again Sonic."

"Anytime Tails. See ya later buddy."

Tails said his goodbyes and the phone line went dead once more. Sonic's grin faltered slightly as he put the phone down. He was happy for his little brother, pure and simple. But the thought that Tails would be out on his own made a lump grow in his throat.

"Goodbye Tails."

* * *

**Ok, so I lied about getting back to Shadow and his case but next week for sure!  
Seriously though, had to finish off Tails' plotline (at least for now) so... yeah.  
Also means I won't have to go back to Sonic or Rouge for a while either.**

**Anyway! Hope you enjoyed this sad excuse of a chapter and I'll see you next week.**

**Corrupt TE out!**


	40. Checking Up

**Ok, first sorry about not updating last weekend but my internet decided to die.  
Only got it back on Thursday and even then it was slower than a snail...**

**Anyway, newest chapter to FntS.  
Usual rules apply, read, enjoy and any suggestions or comments, let me know.**

* * *

Shadow yawned and stretched. He rolled onto his side his arm falling flat onto his bed. Something didn't feel right and he pushed himself upright, clenching his eyes tightly shut as everything began spinning rapidly. He looked around through one squinting eye.

He was in his room. The same walls, the same bed, the same curtains hanging over the same window, the same everything, the same bloody shaft of light that always comes through a gap in his curtains. But everything felt different somehow. He looked down at the other side of his bed.

Usually he'd be sprawled across the entirety of his comfortable king size, but this morning he was occupying the right side. A small change true, but to a hedgehog who'd been sleeping alone for years it was just the change to cause some confusion.

The faint sound of voices filtered to his ears and Shadow levered himself to his feet and walked to his door which was open by a slight crack, allowing the light of the morning to eek through. He pushed through and into his living room, finding it already occupied. Cassie was sitting in his favourite armchair watching a news report on the television.

At the moment it was showing a clip from outside the Station Square hospital. The unmistakable sight of GUN vehicles and soldiers guarding the entrance immediately caught his interest.

"What's going on?" Even though his footsteps had been silent, Cassie didn't even flinch at his words.

"I'm not sure. Reporters say that it was a GUN mission gone bad."

"I don't remember anything about a mission last night…" Shadow said curiously.

"Neither do I." Shadow leaned on the back of her armchair as the reporter said something about finding out more later that day and the image returned to the studio. Cassie stretched her arms above her head and wrapped them around his neck, pulling him down onto her shoulder. The ebony hedgehog grinned and wound his own arms around her shoulders.

"But unlike most people, we can find out." Shadow said with just a small amount of smugness in his voice. Cassie smiled and turned her face upwards towards his, placing a kiss on his cheek.

"Tell you what mister curious, how about you go check out the hospital, and I'll head into the office and pick up the case. Still got a couple of reports to get through anyway." The weather had started on the television and for a couple of minutes they both watched, Cassie muttered something under her breath when the forecaster said that there'd be light showers throughout the day. She stretched again as Shadow stepped round and slumped onto the sofa.

"I'd better get washed." As she stood, Shadow noticed that she wasn't wearing anything under his dressing gown sending a flush of blood rushing to his cheeks.

"Hey Cassie, about last night…" Her smile faltered at the utterance of those words.

"What about it Shadow?" She asked trying to sound more confident than she was feeling.

"Well… where do we go from here?" Their eyes met and Cassie exploded into a smile.

"We go wherever you want Shadow." She turned away and walked a few steps towards the bathroom. "Do you want to join me? I'll let you wash my back."

Shadow chuckled and stood to follow. Today wasn't turning out too bad so far.

-0-

After dropping Cassie off at headquarters, Shadow turned his Landrover around and headed in the direction of the nearby Station Square hospital. He wanted to find out what was going on and check-up on how Sonic and Rouge were healing up.

As he pulled made the turning he saw no less than five broadcasting vans from different television companies camping in the visitors' car park with the reporters and cameramen standing in a mass near the door, where they were being kept at bay by two armed GUN soldiers. He parked nearby and stepped out of his car.

Upon his approach the soldiers perked up to attention and the reporters descended like vultures hounding him with questions. As was his usual practice when it came to the media, Shadow remained silent and fixed a threatening scowl to his face. As soon as he stepped through the doors the GUN guards crossed their weapons and demanded the reporters to step back.

Shadow sighed with exasperation and looked around the reception. It was surprisingly clear, with only a few waiting patients, two nurses and the receptionist, and several GUN soldiers standing around chatting. One noticed Shadow and they all straightened from their slouched positions.

"Agent Shadow sir." The ebony hedgehog nodded in return, his eyes swiftly looking over the soldier, picking out his rank.

"Corporal. Who's in charge here?" The soldiers looked at each other before the Gecko answered.

"That'd be the Captain Sir. He's probably talking with that Doctor who patched up Smitty." The others nodded or mumbled agreement, but Shadow frowned.

"And where could I find him?" The gecko scratched his chin.

"Up in one of the wards I think." Shadow's scowl deepened and the gecko gulped. "B-but finding that Doctor won't be hard. She's a ginger cat with red hair a-and a very bossy personality."

With a simple nod of thanks Shadow marched away in the direction of the stairs, confident that finding Sheba would be relatively simple. She had a habit of making her presence known wherever she went. The soldiers looked at each other as Shadow disappeared around a corner.

"Man that was intense." The gecko said with a sigh of relief, to which the others aptly agreed.

Shadow took the stairs two at a time, stopping at each floor and questioning a passing nurse or GUN soldier on the whereabouts of the feline doctor. Upon reaching the forth floor he heard the unmistakable voice of someone he was looking forward to seeing, but at the same time was rather hesitant.

"Check to see that her wounds are healing up and replace her dressing. Give him another saline, don't risk solids yet. How's bed six doing?" Shadow looked along the bustling ward at the figure very much at the centre of all the commotion, Rouge, wearing a white coat and clearly the one in charge.

"He's no longer complaining about abdominal pains and is taking fluids."

"Good, inform me of any changes." The gaggle of nurses and interns dispersed to their various jobs and the white furred bat turned towards Shadow, finally seeing him at the other end of the ward.

Her face drew into a tired smile and she began making her way towards him. Every now and again she stopped to speak with a pink, red, blue or green scrub clad worker about patient progress. Shadow walked towards her in order to meet her halfway. His pace was slowed however by the sights of GUN soldiers and more surprisingly, echidnas.

"I know." Rouge was suddenly by his side looking over the same echidna lying sleeping in the bed. "I haven't had time to get it through my head. Echidnas…"

"What did I miss?" The hedgehog asked looking around at the other echidnas and GUN personnel.

"I'm not sure." Rouge answered honestly. "First I knew of this was early this morning when Sheba and I came down to see what was going on and if we could help."

"So how did you end up wearing the white coat?" Rouge smiled again.

"You can blame Sheba for that. I started out as a helping hand and now…" She gestured around the ward. "Now I'm in charge of keeping this ward running."

"Bit of a change from being an agent don't you think?"

"Maybe, but I was here to help and, well…" They stood in silence for a moment. "So, what's been keeping you busy?"

Shadow cleared his throat nervously. "You know, this assassination case has kept me going for a while, and Cassie's been showing me ways to relax…"

Rouge raised a questioning eyebrow. "First name basis already Shadow?"

"Yes. She's proven herself a strong willed and dedicated partner and we work extremely well together." The ebony hedgehog said quickly, unaware of the smile that creased onto her face.

"Do you now. Well, sounds like I need to meet Cassie for myself."

"I believe you would like her." Another slight silence fell as Shadow was unnerved by Rouge's smile. "Where would I find Sheba?"

"Probably arguing with the Chief of Staff or trying to get rid of that Captain who's been following her ever since this morning, check on the sixth floor."

Shadow thanked his long-term friend and headed back for the stairs, but not before saying that he'd be back to check on her later. Rouge shook her head and turned back to the bustle around her.

-0-

Shadow's search found him outside the office of the hospitals Chief of Staff to the sound of raised voices.

"Just because they're prisoners of war does not mean they shouldn't be given our utmost care!" Shadow chuckled quietly as he recognised Sheba's threatening tone. "And I will not let this buffoon take any of my patients for questioning until they are fit and healthy in both body and mind!"

"Miss Ramsie, I understand your concern, but this is my hospital and it's my decision whether patients are given over to the authorities and when such a handover takes place." Said a voice unknown to the ebony hedgehog.

"Don't give me that! You're just afraid that you'll lose your cushy job and shiny clean office!"

"How dare you!"

"Then why don't you put your patients first for once!" Shadow decided it was time to enter, mainly on the basis that Sheba was quick to utilise violence when logic and humanitarian options were spent.

There were three anthro in the small office who all looked at the new comer, an iguana in a white coat stood behind his desk, hands shaking in anger. Sheba was standing before him, her face crimson with rage and her ears flattened to her scalp. While leaning somewhat casually on the right hand wall was a broadly built buffalo wearing the uniform of a GUN Captain. He nodded courteously to Shadow, which the hedgehog returned.

"Who are you?" Snapped the iguana. Sheba took a step back and folded her arms. It was hard to tell whether she was happy or annoyed at Shadow's arrival.

"Agent Shadow, GUN operative. I need to speak with the Captain and Miss Ramsie." The iguana waved his hand irritably.

"Take them! I've got more important things to attend too!" Shadow nodded his thanks and held the door open for Sheba, who reluctantly stomped out of the office following the buffalo. As soon as the door closed behind him, she turned on Shadow with a murderous glare, but the ebony hedgehog simply held up a hand to stall her.

"Somewhere a little more private." Sheba snarled and bared her teeth but nether-the-less led the way to a disused private room. As soon as they had filed in and closed the door, Sheba let loose her anger.

"What the HELL Shadow!" The buffalo flinched and was silently glad that it wasn't him on the receiving end of the felines rage. "I was about the deliver a good old fashioned ARSE-KICKING to that cold-blooded bastard!"

"And if you did, Captain Grant would've been forced to arrest you, and where would your patients be then?" Sheba growled at his logical counterargument. "Besides, GUN are not taking anyone until their release forms have been signed by you. Right Captain?"

Shadow turned his gaze on the hulking mass of muscle. "Wouldn't dream of it Sir."

Captain Grant was a surprisingly soft spoken individual, both calm and gentle despite his intimidating presence. Shadow nodded and looked back at his friend who still had her arms crossed.

"Alright, I guess…" She said finally.

"Good. Now, would one of you like to tell me what the hell has happened here?"

-0-

Cassie dodged past frantic Agents in an attempt to reach Shadow's office without receiving a concussion on the way. She wanted to reread the reports of the case so far in case something cropped up that they'd missed first time around. That and she wanted to avoid getting swept up in the commotion around her.

Finally she managed to reach the door to Shadow's office and practically fell through it in an attempt to escape the bustling corridor. Slamming the door closed she rested her back against it for a moment as she regained her breath. During this moment she noticed a number of new reports lying on the desk. She walked round and sat on the high-backed and comfortable leather chair and picked up a small scrap of paper that lay atop the reports.

_Three autopsy reports that may be of interest._

_Dr. Gracian._

Frowning she picked up the first and began reading, stopping once she read: _Claw like tattoo, sliced through three times. Done after subject's death._

"Claw like tattoo?" She mumbled to herself as she picked up the second report. She skimmed through it, her lips moving as her eyes flashed over the written words, stopping once more.

"Claw like tattoo." She picked up the last one and began reading.

"Subject one lime green rabbit, female, aged mid-to-early thirties, believed to be one Andria Metha'as." The name rang alarm bells in her mind as she connected the surname to one of the now deceased suspects. Swiftly she sped through the rest of the report, her eyes falling on the words she both wanted and dreaded to read. "Claw like tattoo."

She slumped back in the chair and rubbed her face as this new information rushed through her mind. After a moment she leaned back forward and began reading through each report again, this time with less urgency.

She found out that all three of these murders had the same cause of death; a stab wound to the heart. Two, including Andria Metha'as bore defensive wounds suggesting that they'd fought back, and they all had a knife found next to them with their own fingerprints the only evidence upon them.

She scrambled all the reports together and raced back out into the corridor, which had quietened down somewhat since she had arrived. She raced towards the elevator and hammered the button for the morgue. Hopping from one foot to the other she willed the metallic box to descend faster and sprinted out as soon as the doors opened. She sprinted past the glass walled offices where other investigative and forensic Agents plied their work, scribbled in thick pen covered some glass walls while photographs were hung by pieces of bluetac on others.

Cassie ignored these as she barrelled through the plastic sheeting that hung around the morgue, startling the aging goat of a pathologist and the Agent he had been speaking with.

"Sorry to interrupt doctor Gracian, but we need to talk. Urgently." The goat, the memory of his last encounter with the lavender hedgehog gulped and nodded, apologising to the Agent who swiftly went on his way.

"How may I be of assistance this time Agent Rahna?" He asked, a slight tremble in his voice.

"These three reports, you say that they were all killed in the same way yes?" She asked feverously, holding out the reports.

"Yes, I-"

"And all three subjects have the same claw like tattoo on their wrists?"

"Well, yes. Bu-"

"Could that tattoo be the same as the one on these three subjects?" Cassie thrust out three more reports which she had grabbed on her swift exodus from the office.

Doctor Gracian gingerly accepted them and began looking through them. The first being that of the stolen black crow which had started this whole mess, and the others being that of the mongoose and the supposed Paul Metha'as. After skimming over them he nodded his head.

"The photographs match. I'd be confident to say that all six of these subjects bore the same tattoo on the same wrist. Nothing like this has been seen since the-"

"The Assassins Dance." Cassie finished. She chuckled before running a hand through her hair. "Another Assassins Dance."

"Possibly, but according to the reports, if I remember correctly, the John and Jane Doe's found bore either the claw tattoo on their wrist or the crescent moon upon their collarbone." Cassie hissed.

"That would've been painful to get done."

"Indeed." Gracian agreed.

"But if this is another Assassins Dance, than why haven't there been any of these crescent moon people been on the slab? Why just these claws?"

"I'm not an investigative agent miss Rahna." The goat in the white coat said rather sarcastically.

"Just thinking out aloud. Thank you for your time Dr. Gracian." Cassie gathered back together the reports and left, and idea coming to mind.

-0-

Shadow looked down at his friend with a pained smile. Despite Knuckles stubborn will that he was fine and able to help, he was strapped up tightly and Sheba had ordered him not to leave his bed.

"Best not leave it too chance Knuckles. Rest up and you can come back when you're ready." Knuckles looked at Shadow sceptically but finally agreed with a shrug.

"Besides, I think there's someone who wants to see you." Sheba said nodding towards the door. Standing there was a black armoured echidna female with a concerned look on her face.

"Well I'd best be off anyway, got a crime to solve." Shadow said quickly, all too aware of the awkward silence that was growing around him.

"Yeah, and I've got other patients to see too." Sheba swiftly turned on her heel and walked out. Shadow however turned back to his friend.

"I uh, I picked this up last time I was at work." He fished through his quills, pulled out a sealed envelope and handed it over to the red echidna. It had the GUN symbol printed on the front and was addressed to Knuckles. "It's got your badge. When you're ready let me know and you're on the team."

With that said, Shadow strode out of the room leaving a rather nervous Shade to step gingerly through the doorway, the door swinging closed behind her.

-0-

"Hey Shadow!" The ebony hedgehog spun around at the sound of his name and saw his cobalt counterpart limping proudly towards him, one hand holding a crutch and the other holding Amy's hand, who was acting as Sonic's support.

"Sonic." His face exploded into a smile. "It's good to see you. Up and moving already, eh?"

"Even though I keep telling him to slow down." Said Amy giving the hedgehogs hand a squeeze.

"Come on Ames, you know I can't keep still for too long." Sonic's trademark grin shone from his face. "So what's new with you Shadz?"

For once, Shadow wasn't annoyed at Sonic's use of his unwanted nickname. Indeed, since Cassie had started using it he was actually beginning to like it.

"Things have changed Sonic. I'm no longer living in the past; I'm taking each day as it comes." He said simply and with a smile.

"Shadow's smiling Amy. It's surely a sign of the Apocalypse! Flee for you lives!" Cried the cobalt hedgehog, throwing his arms in the air for added effect before breaking down into laughter, which was echoed by Amy and even drew a grin from Shadow. "Another smile! You feeling alright Shadz?"

"Better Sonic. My friends are alive, I've discovered what living is like and I've gone a step further than you." Sonic frowned, unsure what the ebony hedgehog meant by that comment. Instead of alleviating Sonic of this unspoken question, Shadow said his goodbyes and left in the direction of the exit.

"What'd he mean by that?" Amy simply answered with a smile.

-0-

Shadow barged his was back through the crowd of reporters and made it to his intimidating vehicle when his mobile began ringing. With keys in on hand he fished out the small device and answered it.

"Shadow, you won't believe what I've found!" Cassie's excited voice made its way to his ears. "Get back to the office as quickly as you can."

"Why, what've you found?" He asked, climbing into his car and sliding the keys into the ignition.

"Three more bodies have come in overnight, and they all share the same thing that links to our case! They all have a talon tattoo!" Shadow was silent as this information bored its way into his mind.

"I'm on my way."

* * *

**With any luck my internet will stay alive long enough to update next week.  
But regardless, hope you enjoyed this latest chapter and I'll see you again next week.**

**-Corrupt TE-**


	41. Paths we tread

**Chapter 41 , and Cassie does some good old fasioned digging through the files.  
We also say goodbye to Tails as he sets off on his own adventure (which will be posted elsewhere)  
Also, Sonic does a bit of thinking. (Very strange I know but we all do it sometimes)**

**Anyway, enjoy.**

* * *

Cassie was flicking back through the case files when Shadow came marching into his office.

"Should I just add your name to the door?" He asked, the sight of her behind his desk becoming extremely commonplace. She gave him the barest of glances before going back to reading.

"Would you? That'd be awfully kind." Her voice was deliberately tinged with sarcasm and although she was staring fixatedly at the paper in her hands, the smile on her face was evident. Shadow walked around his desk to stand behind her and looked over the scattered files littering the desk.

"How many times have you read these?" He asked reading the first few lines of one.

"Enough to get an idea of where to go." Cassie answered stoically. She passed up the file of Andria Metha'as, a name that rang a bell with Shadow, followed by a piece of paper with the signature of Sally Acorn. "Andria Metha'as, as we know her, came to visit her brother, and I use that term loosely, just hours before he was found dead in his cell."

Shadow nodded as he read through what he'd been handed. "She arrived with a lawyer, a mister Acklesfield, who can be seen in the footage we have of their visit. The DVD's here."

She pointed at the disk which was currently laying on top another pile of papers. "The papers they handed over at the front desk were authorised by High Judge McCrowly of all people, so I suggest we talk to the good judge and try to contact this Acklesfield guy. But considering the fact that Andria Metha'as turned out to be associated with these Assassins, I've got a feeling that we'll either be stonewalled by bureaucratic bullshit, or find a rot deeper than we could've considered."

"So in other words…" Cassie looked up with a broad grin.

"I've never gone after a judge before. We're gonna have some fun."

-0-

Tails splashed his face with cold water, toothbrush hanging from his mouth. He went back to brushing furiously as his free hand reached for a hairbrush.

He wanted to be perfect for today. And despite having nothing but his old oily overalls, he wanted to appear his best. He'd washed and shampooed his fur, cleaned his teeth twice so far and was no attacking the fur of his scalp in an attempt to rid himself of knots.

His conversation with Sonic had really given his confidence a boost and he was prepared to capitalise on that.

Minutes later he was dressed and ready. He marched to the front door reached out for the handle and stopped. His hand was shaking. Tails spent a few moments simply staring at his trembling fingers, wondering why they were shaking. Could it be because he was prepared to change everything he'd known for a girl he barely knew? He remembered Sonic's words of wisdom and shook himself out of his stupor and gripped the door handle firmly and gave it a twist.

Stepping out into the bracing morning air caused his breath to catch in his chest. Small streams of smoke filtered through his lips and warm breath met cold air.

Hunching his shoulders, Tails set his feet on the path towards Sakura's billet, retracing his footsteps from the night before.

He kept his eyes focus ahead, not wanting to be distracted from the task he'd set himself. He strode past homes and small businesses as citizens of New Mobotropolis returned to their day-to-day lives despite the grey smoke of still burning embers drifting skywards from the rubble of the castle. A number of people who recognised him, either from his days in the Freedom Fighters or having seen his face on television associated with the Sonic Team, waved or called after him, but he didn't give them more than a passing glance or slight wave of the hand.

As he neared the military compound sights of the mad rush became apparent. Soldiers rushed here and there carrying heavy loads and twice he had to dodge out of the way of an oncoming jeep or truck. Raised voices called across the tarmac, vehicle horns and engines roared as the entire compound of engineers prepared to leave.

He looked around, turning as he walked trying to catch a glimpse of red fur, his ears straining for the sound of her voice. Some of the soldiers glanced his way but most were content to just work around him.

"You there!" He spun around to see a lion marching towards him wearing the same urban-cameo as all the others, although the insignia on his shoulder was that of a Sergeant. "Who are you? You haven't got permission to be here!"

"I'm sorry; I'm looking for Sakura McCain." Tails said quickly, standing his ground despite the intimidating advance of the captain. The lion ceased his stride and looked at him quizzically.

"Wait, I recognise you. Tails Prower, the inventor and engineer of team Sonic, correct?" Tails nodded and the sergeant took on a more relaxed stance. "I don't suppose you'd like to explain why you're looking for one of the Corporals, mmm?"

"Well, I… that is, um…" He quickly cleared his throat as it was becoming apparent that the lion was beginning to lose his patients. "That is a matter I would like to take up with your commanding officer, if you please."

The Sergeant looked at him in a manner not dissimilar to how one would stare at an annoying bug buzzing around their head. After a tense moment he shrugged his shoulders and told the rather relieved twin-tailed fox to follow him.

The way he walked cut a path through the bustling soldiers like a scythe through wheat with the engineers sidestepping out of his path or stopping to avoid collision. Obviously this Sergeant was either well respected or feared of a retributional temper.

They entered one of the small buildings in the centre of the courtyard. Inside it was already being striped of everything that wasn't nailed down, all the work flowing around a single Labrador who continued to pour over a set of maps seemingly oblivious to all that was going on around him. The lion stopped and snapped a parade style salute and the Labrador glanced up, revealing a tired set of eyes.

"Sir, Tails Prower of the Sonic Team wishes to speak with you." Tails glanced down at the cameo jacket lying on the table, making note of the Captain stripes.

"Very well Sergeant, you may go." The lion saluted again and turned on his heel before marching out. The Captain went back to his maps. "So what may I do for you Mr. Prower?"

"I, well… I…" The Labrador glanced up again, seeing the nervousness practically radiating from the young fox.

"Take your time Mr. Prower." That comment did little to calm Tails' nerves as the young genius began wringing his hands together.

"I was hoping to see Sakura… before she left… you know, to talk and maybe…" He trailed off under the captains' relentless gaze. The Labrador pushed the maps into a pile and signalled one of the hovering soldiers who swiftly rolled them and disappeared through the door.

"Get me Corporal McCain." He said with a wave of his hand sending another soldier scurrying away. The captained turned and walked the few paces to the only window overlooking to courtyard and the madness beyond. "I understand that you are quite the engineer yourself Mr. Prower."

"I, I dabble a little." Tails muttered, unsure as to the reason behind this change in topic.

"And humble. I believe that it was you who designed and constructed the anti-air batteries of New Mobotropolis, as well as being a huge driving force behind the creation of Nicole's nano-robotics. You and Rotor have been the lynchpins behind many technological advances for not only the Acorn Kingdom, but for the entire world. Any other Mobian would be splashing their face on the front pages of every magazine they could."

"I um… I've never really been attracted to that sort of life." Tails replied semi-truthfully. He'd watched how Sonic had revelled in the limelight and how much he enjoyed it. But unlike Sonic, Tails wasn't called upon as a celebrity. True he had helped to save the world on many occasions, but Sonic was the hero, he was only the smart sidekick and he was happy with that.

"So it would seem. Which begs the question, why do you want to speak with one of my Corporals?" The captain glanced back at the young fox and watched as he shuffled his feet. "Something personal I see."

"I-I-" For a second time Tails was stuck for words, but what he wasn't expecting was for the captain to chuckle.

"I met my wife in the forces you know. She's part of Army Intelligence and we've been together for almost seven years now." He smiled at Tails' gawping expression. "I'm guessing you've fallen for Corporal McCain and want to follow her, correct?"

Tails shuffled his feet, wondering how this stranger could read him so well. The Labrador chuckled and shook his head. "And they say romance in the army is dead."

"Well unfortunately I cannot simply induct you into the Forth Acorn Engineers, ah good morning Corporal." Tails spun around and saw a confused looking Sakura smile warmly at him. She saluted her commanding officer and walked slowly forward to stand next to the golden furred fox.

"Morning Sir. Pardon me for asking, but why is Tails here?"

"Mr. Prower is our new advisor Corporal."

"What!" Both foxes exclaimed in unison before glancing at each other.

"With the Forth being deployed to Mercia and the Guardian Unit of Nations sending their aid to replace us here, we need someone to liaise with their commanding officer and I can't spare any of my people." The captain sauntered back to his desk, perfectly aware of the stares he was getting, not only from the two foxes but also the other soldiers who had been ferreting around the command office. "So when I get a celebrated engineer like Tails walking in asking if he can join, how can I pass up that chance?"

"You… wanted to join the Forth?" Sakura asked disbelievingly. Tails felt blood rush to his cheeks and took a strange interest in the floor.

"I-I, wanted to… I talked with my brother and he said that… um…"

"You will rejoin us in a week's time, or when GUN have everything under control." The captain said. "Hopefully, by that time you'll have figured out what to say. Dismissed."

Despite his order, both Tails and Sakura stood aimlessly glancing from the Labrador to each other. The captain simply went back to work, being handed a small data-pad and carrying on with the logistics of moving an entire regiment.

After several moments passed, Sakura laid a hand on Tails' shoulder and they slowly walked out, leaving the bustling command post behind. They slowly made their way silently back through the courtyard, neither sure of what to say.

"Sakura, I… um… I wanted to talk to you and…" Tails knew that he was a nervous type and that he struggled with words around women he found attractive, but none so more as the one he was with now.

"I think I know what about." Their eyes met, an unspoken understanding linked them together and on impulse Tails held out his hand. After a moment Sakura took it with a smile.

"You know what? This could be the start of a beautiful relationship."

"You just had to say it didn't you." Tails exclaimed before they both degraded into laughter which was last to the crowd of soldiers as they walked on towards the future.

-0-

Sonic wrung his hands together as he paced in ever quickening circles around his room. He had been taken off of the heart monitor and his bandages had been changed, but despite this the doctors still wanted to keep him in for observations for at least another day and night.

His mind wouldn't stop spinning. Tails was following a girl to Chaos knows where, Shadow was smiling and happy which was scary enough by itself, he'd seen echidnas walking around and had glimpsed Knuckles talking to one in his own room. And what had Shadow said? That he'd gone a step further? He needed to figure things out.

Slumping down onto his bed he rubbed his forehead with both hands. Memories of recent events began to flow through his mind, his carefree runs, the phone call he'd received from GUN, Shadow's mission, explosions and the flash of a blade. A twinge of pain flashed across his chest as a pair of yellow, murderous eyes flashed through his mind.

As he rubbed the bandages wrapped tightly around his chest, Shadow's words kept echoing back. A step further…

He stood back up and headed to the door. If he remembered correctly, Amy had said that she'd be visiting Knuckles and helping Rouge with some of her patients. That brought a smile to his lips, Amy was always the type to help others.

Amy…

A thought quickly surfaced and the cobalt hedgehog left in search of her with determination set in his every step.

* * *

**And thus ends Sonic's and Tails' parts in this story, leaving only Shadow and Cassie's and the ever nearing final chapter of FntS!**

**Hope you've enjoyed this chapter and see you next time.**

**-Corrupt TE-**


	42. When one ends

**Welcome to chapter 42 of FntS!  
Shadow and Cassie's case finally reaches its climax in a way neither was expecting.**

**It all comes to a head and in true FntS fashion, so read and enjoy!**

* * *

Shadow was behind the wheel of his Landrover with Cassie sitting next to him in the passenger seat. She'd been busy shuffling more files and calling various receptionists and lackeys trying to set up a meeting with the high judge McCrowly. Half an hour ago her hands had been busy typing on a computer or flicking through pages of information, now they busied themselves with the familiar checks of her handgun.

"You really think we're gonna run into trouble?" She asked, checking and loading a clip of ammunition.

"If what you surmised is true, than McCrowly could be one of these Assassins, and if that's the case, I want us ready for anything." He answered, having already checked his own handcannon before they set out and with his innate control over Chaos energy, Shadow was confident that they could handle anything thrown at them.

"But still, he's a High Judge. He's sat on some of the most highbrow cases of the last few years. Hell, if Dr. Robotnik had been captured than I'd bet anything McCrowly would've been the one to sentence him!" She holstered her weapon and looked sidelong at her partner, her smile faltering at his impassive expression before her mind caught up with what her mouth had said. "Oh God, I'm sorry Shadow. I didn't mean…"

"It's alright Cassie." He said solemnly as memories flashed. "Sometimes things don't go to plan. That's why we're going in as prepared as we can be."

"So walk in with a smile and a gun right?" Cassie asked with a broad grin, a grin which Shadow couldn't help but reflect.

"Exactly."

-0-

They pulled up just outside the High Court, a large white marble building situated near the centre of the city a short distance from Central Park. Its wide staircase leading up to a set of gloriously worked mahogany wooden doors flanked by large pillars carved simply but exotically.

Mobians in suits and carrying briefcases walked to and from the large doors, some standing by pillars chatting, others sitting on the stairs enjoying the sunshine. A few looked up as the pair of GUN Agents exited the large vehicle but most remained unconcerned by the new arrivals.

"I've been here a couple of times." Cassie noted conversationally. Shadow glanced at her as they began climbing the stairs. "Nothing very exciting, mostly as a note taker for GUN or to stand guard over a prisoner. But it's still rather impressive."

"I've never been here if I'm honest." Said Shadow, adding his own point of view. "Never really took an interest in what happened after the completion of a mission. Never really cared about what happened to those I had to capture."

"Oh yay! I've done something Shadow hasn't!" She cheered rather childishly. Shadow grinned at her antics but as soon as they reached the mahogany doors, changed his expression to his usual scowl. Cassie took on an expression of polite neutralism and together they pushed through the door, upsetting a trio of suited bureaucrats' in the process.

Inside the High Court was just as impressive as outside. The floor was polished dark wood arranged to make intricate patterns which ran the length and breath of the antechamber. A large staircase dominated the room with the second floor balcony running around the antechamber with corridors leading off in varying directions. Four corridors led off from the antechamber, with two on each side of the room.

"Not very defensible except from the second floor." Shadow scoffed under his breath.

"True, and anyway, look at that skylight." Cassie replied, indicating the large glass dome which made up the majority of the ceiling. "Get a squad deployed by chopper and whoever's on the second floor can kiss their asses' goodbye."

"So you know where we're going?" The ebony hedgehog asked. For a moment Cassie remained silent as they walked across the wooden floor, her boots and his skate-shoes making a true racket and drawing all sorts of disapproving looks.

"Sort of. If I remember correctly, we have to go up the stairs and take the first corridor on the left. That should lead us too a sort of reception where we can find Judge McCrowly's office from." Shadow nodded at her explanation and decided to simply follow her and look menacing.

They swiftly climbed the stone steps ignoring the glances that kept coming their way. The sight of a uniformed GUN Agent was uncommon enough in these halls, but the sight of the celebrated Agent Shadow made even the most straight faced lawyer stand and gawp.

They marched on in silence, their footsteps being softened by the worn red carpet underfoot. Wooden panelling ran the length of the corridor and the lights were a warm amber glow and the sound of the daily workings of law and order were softened to a mere murmur.

"Just through here I think." Cassie said leading the way through a set of doors and into a sprawling room divided into sections by low half walls and another office, obviously the office of the most important person there being the only other room with its own door. A few of the lawyers and barristers looked up from their desks and a couple stood and approached the Agents.

"Can I help?" Asked a red furred vixen in a uniform which Cassie thought completely inappropriate for office work. Shadow folded his arms across his chest and scowled, immediately unnerving the pair of suited Mobians and causing the others to quickly turn back to their work.

"Agent Rahna and Agent Shadow of GUN. We're here to speak with High Judge McCrowly." Cassie's tone of voice made it distinctly clear that the Agents would not take kindly to having to wait.

"I-I'm afraid Mr. McCrowly is in a meeting with Mr. Acklesfield at the moment." The other barrister, a short beaked pigeon who was already quailing under Shadow's relentless glare. The two hedgehogs glanced at each other at the mention of Acklesfield, both swiftly coming to the same conclusion.

Shadow unceremoniously barged past the two suited anthro followed by Cassie, whose hand went straight to her holster and produced her handgun. This immediately caused a ripple of panic to surge through the room as all others either dove under their desks or fled down the hallway.

Shadow leaned against the wall on one side of the door with Cassie taking up position opposite. The blinds had been pulled down and they couldn't hear any sounds coming from behind the closed door. Shadow reached into his quills and pulled out his own, more powerful handcannon and signalled that he'd break down the door in three, two, one.

His boot connected hard with the wooden door, blasting it off its hinges and sending a shower of splinters into the room beyond. Cassie spun through the now open door and dropped to one knee, levelling her pistol as she did so, with Shadow taking position just above her.

The sight that met them was something they weren't expecting. High Judge McCrowly, who they both recognised from his GUN profile, was slumped in his chair with his throat sliced open and a knife buried to the hilt in his chest, thick blood which once had run in torrents was now slowly oozing down his once immaculate black suit. Just behind him stood the so called Mr. Acklesfield with his back to the two Agents, staring out the window to the world beyond.

"Move and die, Acklesfield!" Shadow growled.

Despite the noise of their entrance, and the obvious threat on his life, the lavender hedgehog simply turned his head slightly to regard them much like one would do at the arrival of new clients. He sighed and turned back to the window.

"Just days ago I knew my place." He said solemnly. Cassie walked slowly into the office, edging towards the deceased High Judge while Shadow covered her from the doorway. "It's amazing how quickly the world can be turned upside-down."

By this time Cassie had reached the High Judge's chair and looked down at the Raven, noticing his left sleeve had been rolled up and three cuts which sliced vertically over a talon tattoo. The significance suddenly dawned on her.

"This isn't another Assassins dance is it?" The hedgehog named Acklesfield smiled.

"No, merely a personal quest to… cull the corrupt from the brotherhood." Shadow took a few paces into the office, his weapon still trained on the hedgehogs back.

"Care to explain?" He demanded as Cassie stepped back to his side.

"It seems the judge was another of these assassins." She said bringing her own weapon back up.

"Not just another assassin, but the Talon Grand Master of this territory." Acklesfield stated openly.

"So he was your boss then." Cassie surmised. "Everyone has dreams of killing their boss every now and again but this is not going to look good on your résumé."

Shadow glanced disapprovingly at Cassie who shrugged her shoulders. Neither could see the smirk of humour that flickered across the assassins' features.

"Surely killing your Talon Grand Master isn't helping this matter of corruption." Said the ebony hedgehog.

"True, but to find a cure, one must find the heart of the problem, and either fix it, or cut it out." Cassie was amazed at how calm and collected Mr. Acklesfield was. Here he was, found standing over the body of one of the most prominent men in the city, with two armed Agents prepared to shoot him without a moment's hesitation, and it was like he was simply standing in line for a newspaper.

"You keep going on about corruption, what corruption are you talking about?" Shadow demanded. Cassie, happy to let her partner take on the roll of interrogator began analysing the assassin in greater detail, taking note of a slow drip of blood which fell from his left arm.

"Shadow." She whispered, indicating her find with a quick flick of her gun barrel.

"The order of the Talon is based on the code. A code of honour which dates back more than three thousand years. We strike in silence, without fear or hesitation, and fade away as swiftly as we come. If one of the brotherhood falls, then his body and worldly belongings are burnt and his ashes scattered to the four winds. Telak, the one who was contracted to assassinate Sonic the hedgehog was, as you know, slain by a second assassin brotherhood, the Shadowbane. That was the first indication of corruption, in that Telak was hired for this attempt by Dr. Robotnik, a man who we knew would cause the world unprecedented harm should his obstacles be removed."

"And Sonic is one of those obstacles." Shadow stated confidently.

"Indeed." Acklesfield continued like Shadow's interruption had done him a favour. "The code was put into place to protect the balance of power, should Telak have succeeded in his mission then the code would have been broken, questioning why such a contract was accepted in the first place."

"That's all well and good, but why did you launch a full scaled assault on GUN headquarters!" Shadow barked, his trigger finger itching.

"The second indication of corruption within the Talon. My cabal was given information which we were told would be sufficient to retrieve Telak without confrontation, information provided by the Talon Grand Master himself. As you are no doubt aware our information was… false. Something that could have been corrected in a single day of observation. As it expired, we were forced to, improvise."

"Improvise! Six GUN personal were hospitalised with one still in critical condition!" Cassie glanced at her partner, worried that he would shoot the assassin if he didn't regain control of his anger.

"And two of my brother assassins died. If only Menaer had perished in the same manner of Otenn then we wouldn't have had to resort to…" Acklesfield went silent for a moment. "Under the name of Andria Metha'as and my own monomer, the Talon Master of my cabal and the district… we visited Menaer to, silence him. Again, the Grand Master could have used his position to free Menaer but instead we were ordered to… I never questioned my orders, it was not my place. But seeing my friend and brother sat their and knowing full well that this would be the last time I would see him alive was almost too much to bear."

"I began seeking answers, never finding them and rewarded only with frustration and resentment. Therefore, I took a step back. I began to observe what was happening, how the brotherhood was working and I realised, what's happened to the code? It had been bastardised by those who I believed knew it best! Those who I looked up too! And the code states very clearly what is to be done too those who break the code."

"So you went on your own killing spree! Spreading panic and confusion wherever you went!"

"Shadow!" Cassie hissed and the ebony hedgehog took another step back and a deep breath to centre himself once more. Acklesfield went silent for what felt like hours, but was in fact merely seconds.

"Yes. I went in search of those who'd been privy to this knowledge, and when I confronted them, they attacked. I became apparent that if the brotherhood were to survive, then this corruption needed to be removed, no matter how deep it went." Acklesfield finally turned to face them, his eyes were tired, his top shirt buttons undone and tie hanging loosely around his neck. He held his left arm gingerly against his stomach and a small calibre pistol in his right hand. Immediately Shadow and Cassie readjusted their aim.

"Drop the gun Acklesfield!" Shadow warned. The assassin smiled, almost warmly and spread his arms wide, revealing that his left wrist and the tattoo upon it had been sliced through in the same manner as the High Judge's.

"With the Grand Master and most of the Talon Masters now dead the brotherhood is in upheaval. It will be reformed and return to the days of the code, but only after the infighting has died down."

"How can you be sure that your actions have wiped out this corruption, if you're not around to oversee the transition?" Cassie asked.

"It will be many years before the Talon rise again; I can only hope that by my actions, the order will adhere once more to the code. What I have done to cure the order has sealed my fate. For the striking down of Talon Masters and the Grand Master himself is enough to warrant my own death. Better to perish now, by my own hand than wander the streets waiting for a knife or a bullet to herald my passing. Farewell Agents of GUN, you will not hear from me again." In a slow deliberate movement he placed the barrel of his weapon under his chin, smiled, closed his eyes and squeezed the trigger.

"Wait!" Cassie cried a moment too late. The gunshot echoed loudly in the confined space. The Agents stared breathless at where Acklesfield had been standing. Screams echoed from outside the office and the assassins' blood which had splattered the window and the walls slowly trickled down under the force of gravity.

Slowly, Shadow and Cassie lowered their weapons. Shadow walked slowly around the desk and looked down at the hedgehog assassin while Cassie reached for her phone to call in a GUN investigation team.

Despite the noise of screams and the unmistakable sound of sirens in the distance, the two Agents barely registered it, like the death of Acklesfield had dulled their senses. Shadow felt a hand on his shoulder and he looked at Cassie.

"I didn't think it would end like this." He said quietly, looking back down at the body slumped against the window.

"Come on." She said comfortingly. "Another team's on its way, let them take over from here."

Silently they both left the office, neither wanting to believe what had happened, but neither willing to deny it. What was true though, was that what had happened had shaken them both to the core.

-0-

Some hours later Cassie was sitting in Shadow's chair putting the finishing touches on her final report, having decided that to continue pursuing their investigation would be a waste of time and resources which could be used elsewhere. They had both returned shortly after the GUN investigation team had arrived to take over, Shadow had disappeared to the shooting range and she'd buried herself in work. Neither had spoken on the drive back to command, and although the hedgehog who had called himself Acklesfield had told them more information than either of them had expected they had no desire to talk about it. At least not yet.

Cassie sighed as she saved and closed down her report. Stretching she looked up just as the door opened and Shadow entered.

"Coffee?" Cassie smiled and stood, accepting the small cardboard cup held out by her partner.

"Thanks." Both sipped from their beverages, relishing in the aftertaste of ground instant coffee. A moment of silence wafted between them, the adrenaline of the day having left both of them exhausted. "Fancy going for a drink?"

Shadow was silent for a while, sipping at his coffee again.

"Sure." He grabbed her jacket from the back of the door and flipped it onto his shoulder. "Come on."

Cassie switched off the lights as they left, and left the door to swing slowly closed.

"Emeralds Rest?" She asked slipping her free arm through his.

"Yeah. Sounds good."

Although they had seen something terrible that day, they had both seen worse and knew it was part of the job. They couldn't afford to be dragged down by every bad thing that happened, they had to square their shoulders and carry on. Shadow looked across at the woman on his arm.

"Hey Cassie." Her eyes met his. "I think I know who I am now. I'm Shadow the Hedgehog. I am who I am."

"And don't you forget it." She rested her head gently to his shoulder and together they would never have to be afraid of the shadows.

-0-

Dozens of miles away, several small shuttles of sleek design and advanced technology swooped low over the waters. They kept in close formation as they skirted the waves and remained on radio silence throughout the forced exodus.

Onboard the lead ship, Imperator Pir'oth Ix sat seething in his chair looking over the command deck with barely contained rage. Grand Master Karagok had retired to his private chambers with orders not to be disturbed, and with Procurator Lien-Da in emergency medical care under Doctor Zachary and the ever illusive Doctor Finticus having disappeared somewhere, the Imperator had little to do except watch as the Nocturne piloted them onwards.

"Pilot! Any signs of a secluded landing zone yet?" The albino Imperator bellowed.

"Not yet Sir." Came the answer. "Although scans are picking up some strange interference from some whe-"

Ahead of the swift craft the water surged and chopped as it was displaced by something huge rising from under the waves. The first thing to emerge was a tall and expansive command tower, complete with a thick glass viewing bridge. As the Nocturne craft scattered, more and more of this massive construct emerged from the watery depths until a truly awe inspiring airship rose to hover just above the waves.

"Imperator! The unknown vessel is attempting visual contact!" Cried the panicking pilot.

"Inform the Grand Master! On screen!" Moments later a small screen lowered from a compartment in the ceiling and hung just before the Imperator's chair, just as Grand Master Karagok strode in, clearly roused by the impromptu evasive manoeuvres. The blank screen was quickly replaced with the image of a round faced human with dark glasses and a large ginger moustache.

"Who are you!" Grand Master Karagok demanded, to which the human grin maniacally.

"I am Doctor Ivo Robotnik. And I have a proposition for you, my friend." Imperator Ix swiftly relinquished his chair for the Grand Master and retreated to stand behind him as Karagok sat down heavily, his eyes hooded with malice.

"Why should I listen to anything you have to say, friend?" The emphasis placed upon the word 'friend' was such as to destroy any thought of sincerity. The human's grin grew wider.

"Because what I have to offer will not only win you back your island, but together, we will take control of the world!"

* * *

**And so ends FntS, and I want to thank everyone who's joined me on this mad little canter around the written word. Prepare for a list:**

**Mnicknack, Koollolly, Sum 141, dark leader omega, kharmachaos, OddSakura, Outis aka nobody, Banhammer44, flora222, Silhouette the Daemon-Wolf, Michaela the Hedgehog, TooGingerForAName, Stonefaced610, zebsolo, Darth Litarius, SeriaTheGoldenDragon, cba to log in, Storm337, Chaotixs11 and everyone else who read, enjoyed but remained anonymous.**

**But don't worry, just because Fear not the Shadows has come to an end, doesn't mean that the gang'll fade away! I've already got a sequal in the works and a seperate FntS story following Sonic and Amy to come. And don't forget the journey of one echidna Daemon hunter, got big plans for him.**

**All that said, I will be posting up a short epilogue sometime next week just to round things up.**

**But for now, from me Corrupt TE it's thank you, and fairwell.**


	43. Epilogue

**Just a little to finish up, and a little something to set up the sequal.  
You're not getting rid of me that easily.**

* * *

As the days dragged past, things began to return to normal.

Shadow and Cassie were now working a case of a shooting at a night club in the Casino Nights zone of Station Square and with Rouge and Sheba back and working with them, they were making progress, and fast.

Rouge finally got her date with Knuckles, but it was overshadowed by what had happened to both of them over the past few days. When they left the restaurant, they left, not as a couple, but as the best of friends.

Although Knuckles was now a fully fledged GUN Agent and part of Shadow's crime-solving team, he spent much of his time on the newly dubbed Albion, home of the echidnas. There he worked with the Brotherhood of Guardians and the liberated Nocturne, assisting in rebuilding what would become New Echidnaopolis. The guardian Thunderhawk and the Nocturne officer Remington had taken command of the building effort and many seemed to be looking to them for leadership, which suited Knuckles just fine as he returned to the Master Emerald shrine.

There he found the reason why the Master Emerald had felt different; it was but a single piece of a larger Emerald. Guardian Hawking explained that this larger shard had appeared the same time that Albion had returned to Mobius, reasoning that the Emerald itself had protected the island from the natural and unpredictable forces of the Twilight Cage. Knuckles had also been shown an ancient control room built in the bowels of the Master Emerald pyramid, and from what they could deduce from the hieroglyphics and innate stone carvings, this room could be used to control the island itself, whether it would rise or fall in the sky, where it would fly and what appeared to be Chaos powered defence systems. But both agreed that it would be best for all if Albion remained grounded unless absolutely necessary.

The sisters Shade and Julie-Su split their responsibilities, with Shade taking on the mantle of training a local defence and policing force from volunteers, often with the assistance of the Chaotix, while her younger sister went to work in what used to be Doctor Zachary's laboratory in an attempt to understand his technological marvels. Progress was unfortunately slow as only Zachary's eccentric brain understood how anything worked, and although GUN had offered some of its more technical minded to assist them, Knuckles had refused immediately, stating that the only outside help he'd accept would be from Tails Prower.

Many other echidnas had left their island home, setting off to other areas of the planet, exploring or simply seeking a new life.

Tails spent another week in New Mobotropolis helping to coordinate the rebuilding effort with Sally Acorn. There was a short period of time where someone used the current unrest to commit several murders, but this was stopped swiftly and in such a way as to leave many questions unanswered. Tails left shortly afterwards, flying over the sea and into Mercia to rendezvous with the Forth Engineers and his new girlfriend leaving a frustrated Sally behind trying to make heads or tails with what little information she could gather about the investigation.

Sonic was discharged into Amy's care after two more days in hospital, on the proviso that he would not put himself under any undue stress or overwork himself too swiftly, a proviso which Amy happily emphasised with the threat of her ever trustworthy Piko-Hammer.

Cream, her faithful chao Cheese came home from their holiday with Vanilla to find out that so much had changed. Sonic and Amy were now all but officially a couple, Shadow had his own girlfriend and was happy, which made Cream extremely excited, although she was upset that Tails had left on his own nothing could dampen her spirit.

As for the Imperator and Nocturne still loyal to Grand Master Karagok, there was no trace. Despite a pair of high speed GUN interceptor aircraft giving chase, the advanced alien technology proved faster and seemingly vanished over the ocean. The pilots however did report something blocking their long-range radar equipment but again this was put down to unknown technological interference. As such all field Agents were put on high alert for several days, but when nothing came to light all but a few were stood down.

-0-

The winds whistled sharp and cold as the snow poured down from the heavens. Lien-Da flexed her new and unfamiliar cybernetic arm and glared across the snow covered mountain pass. The clank and hiss of Eggman robots clattered around carrying large crates and materials and constructing what would become the joint base of operations for Dr. Robotnik and the remaining Nocturne under Grand Master Karagok's leadership.

They had landed here under Robotnik's instructions finding an empty research facility in disrepair waiting for them with masses of residential space carved into the mountains and buried deep underground. Lien-Da and the remaining Praetorians were given the task of housing the few hundreds that remained and set about restoring the facility to full power. A slow and arduous task but one which the echidnas set too with unbidden enthusiasm, the forced exodus from their home still burning brightly in their minds.

The trio of albino echidna scientists followed the bloated human into the depths of the research facility and didn't emerge for hours or even days on end, saying little of what they had been shown or of what they were doing. Lien-Da had caught a glimpse of what appeared to be an ornate black stone sarcophagus before it was transported through the thick blast doors by the trio, led through by her Lord Karagok.

After several weeks had past, the facility was almost back to full operational status, with Gizoids and masses of bipedal and winged Eggman robots on constant patrol of the high, thick white walls which had been erected against the threat of intruders. Echidna soldiers marched through the courtyards and the facility itself, leaving the colder, harsher elements to be braved by emotionless robotic constructs.

Food and supplies were scarce, and they were forced to rely on Robotnik's sustenance replicator technology and what little food they could grow and hunt in this harsh environment.

Scout forces were sent out to find secluded areas more suitable to cultivation, locating vast stretches of green land and azure ocean beyond the mountain ranges but in sight of a grand city which erupted from the waters. Robotnik swiftly enforced the need to avoid contact with others for the time being.

A small farming colony was established to harvest the supplies that both field and ocean could provide, large enough to be self sufficient and yet small enough to go unnoticed by its larger neighbour.

The latest of supplies caught from the waves was arriving via one of the escape craft which had once ferried them here and was now nothing more than a supply runner. Unloaded under the watchful gaze of Praetorians, Lien-Da turned her attention elsewhere.

Two faces burned brightly in her minds eye, two echidnas who would one day feel her wrath, the traitor Shade and the Guardian Knuckles. She clenched hers fists, her left screeching with metal on metal. Till that day she would wait, and like the rest of those loyal to the Grand Master, she longed for the day that the world would tremble before the rising of the Dark Brotherhood.

-0-

Sealed far from the icy winds, within a small chamber settled deep within the mountainside worked the two albino echidnas Finticus and Zachary. Both were busying themselves with data readouts and scrawling information that bleeped at them from flashing screens. A single image dominated most of Zachary's screens, an image of a strange, floral-like sceptre which Robotnik had taken a feverish interest in.

In the centre of the chamber, dominating the room was an ornate black stone sarcophagus, its intricate engravings showing images of an armoured echidna warrior with energy leaping from his fingertips. Cables and wires twisted to and from connecting to several monitors and machines watched over carefully by Dr. Finticus. A single word was engraved on the lid. A name: Enerjak.

-0-

Cassie Rahna gently pushed the door open finding her partner snoozing with his feet propped up on his desk and chin resting on his white furred chest. The lavender hedgehog smiled; looking back at the door she reread the small sign hanging from the handle and decided to leave it there.

Letting the door swing closed she took her seat at her desk before glancing around what was now the office of Shadow's team. Four desks with accompanying chairs, a long glass wall currently covered with pictures, notes and scribbles about their current case.

She sat down at her desk across from Shadow and picked up the case file. A few weeks ago she had been one of those who put files like the one in her hands together for field Agents to read, she had been at the bottom of the GUN hierarchy, a grunt working in the large floor office with several others all doing the same thing. Wishing they would be given a chance to prove themselves out in the field.

Cassie had been given her chance, and to make matters even better it was in a case helping her greatest idol, the one who had saved her life during the Black Arms invasion, albeit unknowingly at the time.

And now here she was. A fully recognised field Agent, part of a team of handpicked Agents under the command of perhaps the greatest of all Agents that GUN had to hand. Not to mention that she was in a stable and happy relationship with said Agent. She looked over at the ebony hedgehog as he began to stir. With a stretch and a yawn Shadow woke.

"Enjoy your nap?" His crimson eyes focussed immediately on her and a smile eased onto his lips.

"You should try it sometime." He answered with another yawn before settling his feet back to the ground.

"Well I hope its left you energised, 'cause Sheba's latest autopsy report's here." Cassie waved the file in emphasis. Shadow stood and walked to her side.

"What's it say?" With another smile Cassie flipped open the file and they both began going through it together.

And as they did so, Shadow couldn't help but look down at the lavender beauty who had changed his life so dramatically. And at that moment, he understood what Maria had told him at the last, and nothing could've made him happier.

* * *

**It feels strange to be ending this after so long.  
I know I said my thank you's late chapter but once again, thanks to everyone for their support.  
I couldn't have done this without you.**

**Thank you for reading.**

**-Corrupt TE-**


End file.
